Sold-Out Audiences Flock to Verizon Wireless' Contest for the Best Church Choir in America

Sold-Out Audiences Flock to Verizon Wireless' Contest for the Best Church Choir in America

How Sweet The Sound Hits Halfway Mark in 11-City Tour Next up: Detroit; Chicago; Atlanta; Memphis, Tenn.; Los Angeles; and Oakland, Calif. *For local Verizon Wireless media relations contacts by contest city, see below

DETROIT, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless' How Sweet the Sound(TM) competition is about halfway through its 11-city tour, giving local church choirs the chance to perform in front of sold-out crowds of 10,000-plus in the search for "The Best Church Choir in America." The next stops of the singing competition are Detroit; Chicago; Atlanta; Memphis, Tenn.; Los Angeles; and Oakland, Calif. The winning choirs from each city will advance to perform in the grand finale on Nov. 7 in Detroit at the Joe Louis Arena to compete for cash prizes of up to $25,000 and the title of "The Best Church Choir in America."

During the first five stops of the tour, choirs from Houston; St. Louis; Washington, D.C.; Newark, N.J.; and Philadelphia performed at some of the nation's most well-known venues, including Toyota Center, Scottrade Center, Verizon Center, Prudential Center and Wachovia Center respectively. During each regional show, Donald Lawrence, GRAMMY®-winning songwriter, producer, arranger and music director, emcees for a second year, and award-winning gospel artist Marvin Sapp returns as a judge and performer. Singer, songwriter, producer and actress, Lisa Kimmey-Winans joins the tour this year and co-hosts the show with Donald Lawrence.

Verizon Wireless' How Sweet the Sound tour concludes its regional tour over the next two weeks in the following U.S. cities:

   --  Sept. 28: Detroit, Joe Louis Arena   --  Sept. 30: Chicago, United Center   --  Oct. 2: Atlanta, Philips Arena   --  Oct. 5: Memphis, Tenn., FedExForum   --  Oct. 8: Los Angeles, The Forum    --  Oct. 10: Oakland, Calif., ORACLE Arena   

How Sweet the Sound is much more than a singing competition; it is an opportunity to celebrate the unique ways that music connects people within their communities. Other activities during each show include:

   --  Gospel Karaoke, where attendees will have an opportunity to perform       their favorite gospel music in front of a green screen and get a copy       of their superstar moment via their mobile phones or the Web to share       with friends and family   --  Artwork displays from local artists who created a fine art piece to       reflect the competition in their home city    --  HopeLine® donation drives where Verizon Wireless will collect       no-longer-used wireless phones, batteries and accessories in any       condition and from any provider that can be refurbished are sold for       reuse, with the proceeds providing wireless phones and cash grants to       local shelters and non-profit organizations that focus on domestic       violence prevention and awareness   

Details about How Sweet the Sound, including schedules, judging criteria, tickets and the official rules, are available online at www.HowSweetTheSound.com. Tickets are $7 for floor seats, and lower- and upper-tier seats are available for $5.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and data network, serving 87.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 87,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

   *Local Verizon Wireless media relations contacts by contest city     Houston   Gretchen LeJeune   Verizon Wireless   713-219-8028   Gretchen.LeJeune@verizonwireless.com    St. Louis   Erica Sevilla   Verizon Wireless   847-619-4326   Erica.Sevilla@verizonwireless.com    Washington, D.C.   Melanie Ortel   Verizon Wireless   240-568-1429   Melanie.Ortel@verizonwireless.com    Newark, N.J.   David Samberg   Verizon Wireless   845-365-7212   David.Samberg@verizonwireless.com    Philadelphia   Sheldon Jones   Verizon Wireless   215-638-5668   Sheldon.Jones@verizonwireless.com    Detroit   Erica Sevilla   Verizon Wireless   847-619-4326   Erica.Sevilla@verizonwireless.com    Chicago   Erica Sevilla   Verizon Wireless   847-619-4326   Erica.Sevilla@verizonwireless.com    Atlanta   Caran Smith   Verizon Wireless   678-339-4891   Caran.Smith@verizonwireless.com    Memphis, Tenn.   Karen Schulz   Verizon Wireless   864-987-2006   Karen.Schulz@verizonwireless.com    Los Angeles   Ken Muche   Verizon Wireless   949-286-8193   Ken.Muche@verizonwireless.com    Oakland, Calif.   Heidi Flato   Verizon Wireless   925-279-6545   Heidi.Flato@verizonwireless.com  

EDITOR'S NOTE: Broadcast-quality B-Roll featuring 2009 How Sweet the
Sound coverage is available online. Log on to Verizon Wireless' Multimedia
Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia to preview and request video
segments, which can be received in newsrooms digitally or by tape.
First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Verizon Wireless

CONTACT: Brenda Boyd Raney, Verizon Wireless, +1-908-559-7518,
Brenda.Raney@verizonwireless.com

Web Site: http://www.verizonwireless.com/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/094251.html

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Profile: International Entertainment