CT High School Choir Performs With Rock Band Foreigner Dec. 9 In Wallingford

BRANFORD, CT — More than four decades ago, rock band Foreigner's song, 'I Want to Know What Love Is,' was an instant hit and for the band, of its scores of hit songs, the anthem has remained its top, and one of the most popular rock songs ever. The power ballad, as it's described, was named to Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 1985, the New Jersey Mass Choir backed up the band on the song.

Next week, it will be the Branford High School choir, Music Makers, joining Foreigner on stage.

The band is performing their Foreigner 4, The Deluxe Tour with Lou Gramm, on Dec. 9 at the Oakdale Theatre.

The band wanted a local school choir to perform with them, and so WPLR radio held a choir contest, and the Branford high school singers won. Foreigner will donate $500 to the choir to use for its choir program, band spokesperson John Lappen told Patch.

Music Makers is an auditioned ensemble of 25 mixed voices, BHS Arts Department Leader and the choir's director, Michael Martone, explained. The group "spends a lot of time performing in and out of the school community."

"When we discovered the opportunity to perform with Foreigner we quickly assembled an audition video with the help of our tech ed teacher Jonathan Cap,"Martone said. "We are very excited that we were chosen, and I am so glad my very deserving students will get this performance opportunity, it will truly be unforgettable."

Foreigner guitarist and founding member Mick Jones said music is the great equalizer. And the band is committed to helping young musicians "express themselves."

"As far as I'm concerned, music is not only the most powerful form of communication between the peoples of the world, it provides a gateway that opens up a fantastic new dimension of feeling and creativity," Jones said. "Anything we can do to provide our young ones with the tools to express themselves through music, is our goal in this partnership."

The band was elected to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 2024 in recognition of its iconic, chart-topping, 50+ year career and this year’s shows will celebrate the band’s induction, Lappen said. And pointed to some fun facts about the band.

Foreigner Facts:

Foreigner’s catalog sales hit Top 40 in Business Insider magazine’s Best Selling Music Artists of All Time, ahead of Britney Spears, Bob Dylan, Phil Collins, Prince, Queen, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard.

Foreigner has 9 Top 10 hits – that’s the same as Fleetwood Mac and more than Journey and most of their Classic Rock peers.

The 2018 orchestral album spent 12 weeks at #1 on the Billboard classical chart. It generated sold out US and international concerts including a spectacular night at the Sydney Opera House.

Over 400 million YouTube views.

Spotify streams approaching 2 million per week.

Digital downloads of ‘Juke Box Hero’ and ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ certified platinum by the RIAA indicating Foreigner’s resonance in the new era.

Breaking the record in Billboard magazine, ‘Waiting For A Girl Like You’ was #2 in the Top 10 for 14 weeks and landed Foreigner at #49 on Billboard’s Hot 100 All Time Top Artists chart above The Eagles at #54, Fleetwood Mac at #73 and Aerosmith at #90.

Foreigner ‘4’ sat at #1 on the Billboard charts longer than any album by any artist in Atlantic Records’ 70-year history.

Foreigner, consistently in the Top 20 at Classic Rock radio, has more airplay than Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, U2, Bruce Springsteen, The Who, Bad Company and more.

Foreigner’s leader and founder, Mick Jones, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.

Mick Jones produced/co-produced every Foreigner album, as well as Billy Joel’s ‘Storm Front’ and Van Halen’s ‘5150’ and has written songs with Ozzy Osbourne and Eric Clapton, with whom he wrote ‘Bad Love’. Eric received a Grammy for that one!

The Foreigner catalog has sold more than 80 million albums.

Foreigner has 16 Top 30 hits

To get tickets for the Foreigner concert at the Oakdale Theater, Dec. 9, click here.