Nine school choirs from across El Paso are asking the public to pick them as the borderland’s next big stage act — not for a talent show, but for a shot at singing backup with classic rock band Foreigner. Voting opened today and runs through noon on Sunday, with the winning choir set to perform live with the band at the Abraham Chavez Theatre on October 16, taking home a $500 donation along with the once-in-a-lifetime gig.
The contest, detailed by 93.1 KISS FM, invites the public to vote for their favorite among nine finalist choirs, with voters able to watch finalist performances before casting a ballot. The winner will be announced October 5, giving the chosen students just eleven days to prepare before joining Foreigner for “I Want to Know What Love Is” at the Abraham Chavez Theatre on October 16 as part of the band’s Celebrating Fifty Years tour, according to El Paso Live. The downtown venue seats up to 2,500 people and sits next to the Judson F. Williams Convention Center.
Nine Schools, Nine Different Needs
The finalists span a wide range of El Paso campuses, each with its own story and its own plan for the money. Bel Air High School’s choir, which learned “I Want to Know What Love Is” in just three days before fall break, says it would put the $500 toward music supplies, equipment maintenance, uniforms, and transportation, per the same report. SSG Manuel R. Puentes Middle School’s choir is hoping the donation covers new risers and a piano, while Capt. Walter E. Clarke Middle School’s choir says it needs music, classroom materials, and performance materials.
Other finalists are navigating thinner resources and smaller rosters. Navarrete Middle School, a Title I campus in the El Paso Independent School District, says its choir would use the funds for t-shirts. Magoffin Middle School’s choir has cycled through three choir teachers in two years and only started working with its newest instructor in December; Irvin High School’s choir, which has just eight singers, began with its current director that same month. Montwood Middle’s choir, which lost a singer unexpectedly last year, hopes to buy new microphones and a dedication plaque, while Montwood High School’s choir is also among the finalists. The DaVinci School for Science and the Arts, a small charter school whose students travel from Mexico to attend, is led by choir and orchestra director James David Hamilton, also a bass player for Fungi Mungle; that choir would use its winnings for new instruments, equipment, or an educational field trip.
A Decade-Plus of Student Choirs Taking the Stage
El Paso’s contest is part of a tradition of Foreigner offering school choirs the chance to perform with the band. By 2018, Foreigner had offered choir performances and $500 donations for more than nine years, according to Prince William Living. The GRAMMY Foundation, Foreigner’s charity partner, is dedicated to supporting music education, the publication reported. “I Want to Know What Love Is” is a classic No. 1 single and featured background vocals from the New Jersey Mass Choir…