Socorro students are no ‘foreigners’ to the big stage after a performance they will never forget

EL PASO, Texas -- The Socorro High School choir took center stage Monday as they opened for legendary rock band Foreigner.

"It's going to be one of the biggest things we ever do," Carlos Frayre, a senior at Socorro said.

"It's just a dream come true," Castillo Jasmine another senior at Socorro said.

The choir only found out just over a week ago that they would get to open the show and since then they've been practicing every day and listening to the music in their off time.

Jeff Pilson, bassist for Foreigner told ABC-7 they've been working with high school choirs for years now. Prior to the pandemic, he said they used to have the choir come out and sing 'I wanna know what love is' with them.

"It was fabulous and we loved it and watching the kids sing with us, and it was great," Pilson said.

Due to safety concerns, they've switched gears. Now they have a choir open for them with a 10 minute a cappella set. Socorro compiled their set on famous rock songs.

“Watching them do this a cappella stuff has been really inspiring and really fun and their energy has just been incredible so it makes for a wonderful evening," Pilson said.

Pilson told ABC-7 they invite high school choirs on stage because they really want to help high school music education. He said if it weren't for his high school orchestra teacher he probably wouldn't have pursued a career in music.

Pilson said when there are budgeting issues the first thing to go in schools is the funding for music departments. That's why Foreigner is also donating $500 to the Socorro choir program.

"We just want to do what we can to make sure that the schools have the funding that they need and the music programs that they definitely will thrive on," Pilson said.

Many of the students in the choir dream of having careers in music after high school, but they told ABC-7 they'd never dreamed of an opportunity like this. Now they say they are all the more prepared to go out and achieve their goals.

"When you're actually experiencing something, it gives you the best teaching skills for going on and doing that in your life," Pilson said. "The hope is that when they do this, that they kind of think hey I can do this and it gives them the inspiration and encouragement and if we do that then mission accomplished.