PORT ANGELES — They’re headed for New York City, so they’re turning the student center into a nightclub.
The Spotlight Nightclub, that is, will fill with song this Friday and Saturday as young soloists offer jazz, Broadway and popular music, all in the name of one big trip.
It’s called “New York for a Song,” and some 25 students from the Port Angeles High School Vocal Music Department will embark on their fundraising season at 7:30 both evenings in the nightclub otherwise known as the student center.
That’s in the front building at Port Angeles High, 304 E. Park Ave.
The cover charge for this all-ages venue is $5 for students and $7.50 for adults for an evening of songs made famous by Frank Sinatra, Bonnie Raitt, Foo Fighters, Bryan Adams, Johnny Cash and others.
Senior Beth Ann Brackett will offer “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” while Ethan Hoch will sing the Fighters’ “Times Like These.” “All of Me,” “Heaven” and “Ring of Fire” are also among the solos.
“It’s just a really fun mix of music,” said choir director Jolene Dalton Gailey.
Food worthy of such an evening — crab Rangoon, teriyaki chicken rice bowls and other treats — will be available, she promised.
“This is our New York year. We’re stepping everything up,” said Gailey, who has taken her teenage singers to New York City three times before.
Manhattan in April
The next time will come April 7, when Gailey and about 100 choir students fly east for a six-day, five-night stay in Manhattan.
They will sing — and feel the acoustics — in three cathedrals: the neo-Gothic St. Patrick’s, the 122-year-old St. John the Divine and the Riverside, which at 392 feet is the tallest church in the United States.
“Every one of my students has the opportunity to go,” Gailey said, adding that choir members in ninth through 12th grade are raising money for the trip.
Each student will pay $1,600 for the New York City experience, which along with the cathedral concerts will include all meals and lodging, sightseeing and two Broadway shows.
Choir students plan a couple of fundraisers for “New York for a Song” each month until April, Gailey said.
Those who want to help the singers with their expenses can also donate by contacting Gailey directly at jgailey@portangelesschools.org or 360-565-1535.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
