A group of 25 teenagers from the Children's Chorus of San Antonio will join Foreigner at the Majestic Theatre on October 13 to sing “I Want to Know What Love Is.” The appearance is part of the band's recurring practice of inviting local youth choirs to perform the hit with them.
A Long-Standing Tradition Comes to San Antonio
The San Antonio Express-News reports that radio station Q101.9 contacted the chorus about the performance. The selected singers are ages 14 to 18 and attend schools across the city. Chorus leaders considered age, musicianship and stage presence, with a lottery used in part to determine the final roster from eligible singers, the newspaper reported.
The chorus describes itself as a community-based nonprofit on its website. Founded in 1983 by Marguerite McCormick as the UTSA Children's Chorus, it began with 33 singers. Today it is a resident affiliate of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, according to TPR. Artistic director Carolyn Cruse told the Express-News she is excited about the Foreigner performance and said the chorus is building a name for itself in the community.
Mostly Non-Pop Repertoire Meets a 1984 Power Ballad
The Express-News reports that the chorus usually performs non-pop repertoire and recently presented a spring program of show tunes and movie music. Its members already know “I Want to Know What Love Is,” which first reached the airwaves in 1984 and remains Foreigner's only single to top the Billboard Hot 100. The newspaper also noted similarities between the song's harmonies and those in Bonnie Tyler's “Holding Out for a Hero.”
The Express-News reports that Foreigner asked the chorus to prepare its own arrangement and did not provide sheet music. The newspaper also said the group had not performed on the Majestic stage for at least five years. Majestic staff arranged for the singers to attend the concert and planned for them to leave their seats shortly before their performance.
Money for Music Programs, a Recurring Pattern
The gesture comes with a financial component: the Express-News reports Foreigner will give the Children's Chorus of San Antonio $500, consistent with the band's pattern of donating money to choirs that perform on stage with them. The practice is well documented elsewhere. Foreigner has worked with more than 800 high school choirs nationwide and partners with the Grammy Foundation to give student singers the opportunity, according to WFMZ, which also reported that the band donates money to each participating school to help its program last.
In comments to WFMZ, Foreigner musical director and bassist Jeff Pilson said the effort is intended to support public-school music programs, which he noted can be vulnerable when budgets are tight. The San Antonio appearance reflects a practice the band has continued for nearly 20 years: inviting youth choirs to share the stage as part of its support for music education.
The Chorus's Wider Reach
The Children's Chorus of San Antonio says its organization-wide programs serve more than 2,500 young people across more than 80 ZIP codes. Its offerings include family music for infants through age 5 and choral ensembles for students in kindergarten through 12th grade, according to the chorus website. These are figures about the nonprofit's own programs, not districtwide measures of music instruction or staffing.
Similar Collaborations From Minnesota to New Mexico
San Antonio joins a growing list of cities where Foreigner has brought local kids into its act. The Goodhue High School choir backed the band at Treasure Island Resort and Casino on May 12, and the Cannon Falls Beacon reported that Foreigner has invited the Minnesota choir back every time the band has returned to town since. In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, members of the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts choir sang the gospel choir part of the song during a sold-out show at the Wind Creek Event Center, per WFMZ.
In Las Cruces, New Mexico, 25 children from the Zia Middle School Choir joined lead singer Kelly Hansen onstage at the Pan American Center on October 9, 2024, according to the Las Cruces Bulletin, which reported that listeners of radio station KVLC-FM selected the choir through a vote. San Antonio's show is part of Foreigner's 50th anniversary tour, according to the San Antonio Current, which also notes that none of the band's original members remain in the current lineup. Tickets for the October 13 show at the Majestic Theatre range from $59.78 to $1,354.50.
