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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