A group of Sault high school students will soon sing on stage with an iconic rock band.
The Superior Heights Collegiate choir will be singing with Foreigner when the group performs I Want to Know What Love Is, during an upcoming concert at GFL Memorial Gardens on Saturday, Nov. 1.
“This is an incredibly cool opportunity and we're so grateful to Foreigner to be sharing their stage with us,” said Anthony Aceti, Superior Heights choir director and Algoma District School Board arts department head.
“Many of our students live and breathe music and love performing on stage. The fact that they'll get to be on the biggest stage in town at the GFL in front of the biggest audience possible is a tremendous gift.”
The Superior Heights choir won the opportunity to sing with Foreigner through a Rock 101 contest.
High school choirs were invited to submit a video of themselves singing a Foreigner song to the radio station. Rock 101 then chose a winner.
“We found out about the win a few weeks ago and the students erupted in cheers. They were very excited. We’ll join Foreigner on the melody and harmony lines for the chorus,” Aceti said.
“The song is such a memorable tune. It was easy to learn and internalize the harmonies as a choir. It was great fun.”
Foreigner will donate $500 to the Superior Heights choir to use for its programming.
“The money is definitely going to go towards new music purchases for our choir. We'll also buy T-shirts for the arts students so they can proudly represent Superior Heights wherever they go,” Aceti said.
Foreigner has been awarding monetary gifts to groups of young people joining them on stage during its current Juke Box Hero tour.
“It's been amazing. We've been doing that for a long time now and it's just a great opportunity for these kids to come up and perform and to experience music, experience performance, experience the communal nature of singing and playing together,” said Michael Bluestein, Foreigner keyboardist in a phone interview with SooToday.
“It's a big part of our campaign to raise awareness about music programs in schools and how important they are. We really want to emphasize the importance of these programs and that they continue. We feel that by having these choirs perform with us it really emphasizes that.
"We’re going to keep that campaign going,” Bluestein said.
Foreigner - a U.S. band originally consisting of American and British members including Lou Gramm and Mick Jones - released its self-titled first album in 1977.
Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Foreigner received widespread airplay and produced several iconic hits including Feels Like the First Time, Cold as Ice, Hot Blooded, Urgent, Juke Box Hero, and I Want to Know What Love Is.
The band has sold over 80 million albums worldwide and has continued to tour widely throughout the decades.
The band’s lineup has completely changed - some of its original members are now deceased - though some members have occasionally made appearances with the newer group.
Bluestein, based in Los Angeles, joined Foreigner as a keyboardist and vocalist in 2008.
“As a kid in the late 70s I heard all their songs,” said Bluestein, now 56.
“So, to fast forward, as a pro musician to be playing with these guys and being a part of the band for almost 18 years now is pretty amazing and I feel really blessed and fortunate to be here.”
Bluestein said Foreigner has continued as a touring band with a new lineup due to the quality of music produced by the band’s original members.
“I would attribute it to the durability of the songs, how well crafted they are, the original lead vocal performances on all of them. It's pretty outstanding.
"There's great guitar hooks, great keyboard parts, killer harmonies. The songs were really built to last and are very well crafted.”
54-40 will be the opening act.
The show will be held on Saturday, Nov. 1 at GFL Memorial Gardens. It starts at 7:30 p.m. with doors open at 6:30.
Tickets are available here.