Naperville resident Reid Spears was the kid playing a toy guitar at the end of his driveway, singing to the group of neighborhood kids gathered around him. Decades later, he still has the knack for drawing people together, albeit on a bigger stage.
On March 11, Spears – piano player and lead singer of Billy Elton – a band that celebrates the music of Billy Joel and Elton John – will perform a benefit concert at Neuqua Valley High School for the fifth time.
“We are very excited to be returning to Neuqua Valley for another concert,” said Spears, a professional musician who has been Neuqua’s choir accompanist for the past 15 years. “Although we have been very fortunate to play many wonderful venues, we love being able to return to Neuqua Valley because that is where it all started for us.”
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Spears originally proposed the Billy Elton event in 2008 as a way to raise money to benefit the memorial funds of former Neuqua teachers Tom Schlegel and Dave Scheidecker. This year, a portion of the proceeds will also be donated to the Leslie Baumann Scholarship Fund in honor of teacher Leslie Baumann, who passed away in 2014 after a battle with cancer.
“It is very special to me that we can add Leslie to our benefit this year,” said Spears. “Leslie was a friend, and she was a big supporter of Billy Elton and of me personally. She passed just a few weeks after our last performance at Neuqua. It is a little bittersweet that she attended our earlier performances, and now we will be remembering her during our next one.”
Joining Billy Elton on stage for several numbers will be 20 members of the Neuqua Valley Symphony Orchestra.
“The high school students are excited to play their band and orchestra instruments as part of a full-fledged rock show,” said Greg Schwaegler, the symphony’s director. “It is a great experience for them to learn music that has a very different harmony, rhythm, and style when compared to symphonic music. They also learn a lot about how professional rock concerts are produced and managed.”
Spears said the feeling is mutual.
“I think all of us in the band were excited to have a real symphony orchestra behind us; that’s a pretty rare thing,” Spears said. “And it is such a joy to have one as talented as the Neuqua Valley Symphony Orchestra.”
Neuqua Valley principal Bob McBride spoke to the legacy of the teachers being remembered and the impact of the benefit concert.
“The heart of our school is found in the people who leave a legacy here every day,” McBride said. “Tom Schlegel, Dave Scheidecker and Leslie Baumann left us too soon, but they all left a legacy and spirit that is part of the soul of Neuqua Valley.
McBride said the best way to celebrate their lives and continue their legacy is through soulful music, and the Billy Elton concert does just that.
“Music reminds us that a school is more than a place,” the principal said. “It is a spirit of life and sacrifice for others.”
Billy Elton, a benefit concert featuring the music of Billy Joel and Elton John
When: Friday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Neuqua Valley High School Auditorium, 2360 95th St., Naperville
Tickets: $10; purchase at www.neuquamusic.org or at the door.