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.
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