Murrieta Valley Choir Performs With Foreigner During Pechanga Concert

MURRIETA, CA — The stage was set, the harmonies were perfected, and Murrieta Valley High School's choir performed backup vocals for "I Want To Know What Love Is" at a Pechanga concert Sunday.

Foreigner, the 1980s rock band known for hits like "Juke Box Hero," "Waiting For A Girl Like You," and "I Want To Know What Love Is," takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Sunday in Temecula. Tickets are still available, though they are going fast, according to a Pechanga ticket website.

How the school's choir achieved that privilege was a matter of luck, according to chorus director Brad Allen.

"I direct choirs at the Murrieta Valley High School and Thompson Middle School," Allen told Patch in an email. "John Lappen, a representative of Foreigner, is responsible for reaching out to High School choirs local to each touring venue that Foreigner performs. We were first to respond and got the gig."

Practice made perfect, according to Allen.

"The kids are very excited and practice is going really well," he said.

The students often perform music with four to eight different voice parts, usually in a language other than English, so they have the three-part harmony with repeats of the song well in hand.

The group will have a final practice Sunday afternoon at the high school before they head out to join Foreigner on the big stage at the Pechanga Theater.

This is the first of several concerts the choir has on the horizon, including a San Francisco Tour at the end of the month.

"We have a tradition of touring every year, but this is our first since 2019, due to pandemic cancellation," he said. "We will have a couple of performances, an exchange with another high school, sightseeing and a bunch more." They will finish the year with an end-of-the-year concert, "Variety Show," featuring musical theater selections at 7 p.m. on May 18 and 19 at the MVHS theater.

For now, they are totally focused on doing their part to make to round out the backup vocals for "I Want To Know What Love Is."

Foreigner has reached out to choirs of all ages for their farewell summer tour in 2023. For more information on how to apply to sing along with the band, visit the website. As for Murrieta Valley High School, Allen is glad his choir was the first to answer the call.

"They are having a log of fun with it," he said. "It is such an iconic song."