Tickets to the Verizon Wireless ‘How Sweet the Sound’ Competition on Sale Today

The2009 How Sweet the Sound competition brings together choirs to perform and compete for a chance to earn the title of best church choir intheir hometowns, a cash prize of up to $15,000, and the opportunity to represent their city in the grand finale concert later this year.

How Sweet the Sound floor seats are $7 and lower- and upper-tier seats are available for $5. Performances will take place at the following venues this fall:

• Houston — Sept. 19, Toyota Center
• St. Louis — Sept. 21, Scottrade Center
• Washington, D.C. — Sept. 24, Verizon Center
• Newark, N.J. — Sept. 25, Prudential Center
• Philadelphia — Sept. 26, Wachovia Center
• Detroit — Sept. 28, Joe Louis Arena
• Chicago — Sept. 30, United Center
• Atlanta — Oct. 2, Philips Arena
• Memphis, Tenn. — Oct. 5, FedEx Forum
• Los Angeles — Oct. 8, The Forum
• Oakland, Calif. — Oct. 10, ORACLE Arena

For more information on purchasing tickets, visit www.HowSweetTheSound.com.

2009 Tour Highlights

Donald Lawrence, GRAMMY((R))-winning songwriter, producer, arranger and music director, will emcee the tour for the second full year, while award-winning gospel artist, Marvin Sapp, will also be back as a judge. Once again, Verizon Wireless will select a local artist in each city to create a fine art piece to reflect the competition in their home city,and the artwork will be on display at each performance.

Last year, Chicago’s Acme Missionary Baptist Church was named the overall winner for the 2008 How Sweet the Sound tour. According to church pastor, the Rev. Bernard Sutton, the choir used their prize money to help purchase the congregation a new building.

Details about How Sweet the Sound, including schedules, judging criteria, tickets and official rules, are available online at www.HowSweetTheSound.com.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and data network, serving more than 86.6 million customers.Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 86,000 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.