By Jay SchlichterCitizen Editor

When Foreigner was at the top of their game, the students who make up the choir at Seacrest Country Day School in Naples weren’t even a glint in their parents’ eyes.

But when the high school teenagers joined the clas-sic rock band onstage at Germain Arena last week to sing along during “I Want to Know What Love Is,” age didn’t matter.

The crowd, made up mainly of middle-age adults who grew up jamming out to “Juke Box Hero” and play-ing air saxophone to “Urgent,” thought the inclusion of the school choir was pretty cool. They cheered for and lauded the teens with handshakes and compliments as they left the stage at the song’s conclusion.

The teens, however, adored their moment in the spot-light, earning a few minutes toward their 15 minutes worth of fame.

“It really was a rock star moment,” said Sage Kliewe, 17, a Seacrest junior.

The choir was introduced toward the middle of the song, to a roar of applause. While they were on stage, the students raised their arms, swaying along to the beat. They were grouped together toward the back, but were joined by the band’s lead singer, Kelly Hansen, at the song’s climax.

One of the choir members, 16-year-old Rachael Pence, even got the chance to strum the strings when the band’s lead guitarist motioned her to come forward. She played a few bars, making her a momentary guitar hero.

“It was awesome,” she said.The choir earned the chance to perform with For-

eigner by winning a contest the band holds in many towns they have visited or are headed to during their Soundtrack of Summer tour with Styx and Don Felder, the former Eagles guitarist. The tour kicked o� May 14 and ends July 27.

The contest, which is open to any high school choir lo-cated near the tour’s latest venue, allows up to 35 students from the winning school to sing the backup portion of what was one of the band’s top hits, which was released in 1984 and has remained popular for years afterward. The choir must submit a video of them singing a For-eigner song. The Seacrest group performed an a capella version of “Cold As Ice.”

For the Seacrest choir, which is made up of more than 50 students, choir director Jodie DeSalvo had to fi nd an amenable solution to pare down the group’s numbers since the contest only allows for a group not larger than 35 individuals.

Since roughly 15 students worked on the video they submitted, DeSalvo felt it was only fair to automatically include them. She then asked the remaining students to pick numbers out of a hat.

The students seemed satisfi ed with the results.One of the students who didn’t pick a winning number

still wanted to be a part of the experience, so he bought nearly front row tickets to the concert and high-fi ved his fellow students on their way up to the stage and after they fi nished.

For the students who did make the cut, the experience was more than just memorable.

“I went home and bought all of their albums,” said Allie Gendron, 16.

Gendron said she wasn’t sure who was more excited prior to the concert, her or her parents, who are big fans of the 80’s music scene.

But one of her classmates, 17-year-old Mariel Sanchez, might have been the most excited of them all.

“Classic rock is the best genre of music ever,” she said.Prior to the concert, the choir took a few group shots

as the bands’ did soundchecks. And they stuck around not only for their chance to perform with Foreigner, but they stayed long after, watching as Styx took the stage to end the show.

Their experience may have made them slightly biased, but many of the students felt that Foreigner should have been the headliner, since they “had the most energy.”

“But ‘Come Sail Away’ was our jam,” said Joseph Tri-buiani, 15, referring to the ultra-popular Styx hit.

No matter which band the choir members dug the most, it was clear that they at least enjoyed being rock stars for a night.

For more photos and a video of the choir singing with Foreigner, go to colliercitizen.com.

14A Saturday, May 31, 2014 colliercitizen.com

SEACREST HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR EARNS CHANCE TO SING WITH FOREIGNER

The Seacrest high school choir poses for a group shot before the concert kicked off at Germain Arena on May 22.

JAY SCHLICHTER/STAFF (3)

Above: Kelly Hansen, the newest frontman for Foreigner, sings and sways along with the Seacrest Country Day High School choir during the classic rock band’s performance of “I Want To Know What Love Is.”

Below: Hansen raises his hand as the light illuminates the lead singer during the band’s performance at Germain Arena on May 22.

Three members of Styx, Ricky Phillips, James Young and Tommy Shaw, jam together during the band’s performance.

IT REALLY was a rock star moment.”

— SAGE KLIEWE, 17

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