'The Best Church Choir In America' To Be Named At Joe Louis Arena

Verizon Wireless' second annual How Sweet the Sound^TM competition will conclude at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. where choirs from 11 U.S. cities will vie for the title of "The Best Church Choir in America" and up to $25,000 in cash and prizes. The evening will be hosted by GRAMMY®-winning songwriter, producer, arranger and music director Donald Lawrence and Lisa Kimmey-Winans, singer, songwriter, producer and actress. The finale will also feature performances by award-winning gospel artist, Marvin Sapp.

More than 100,000 people attended the regional competitions across the country, enjoying nights of great music and community spirit. The winners from each regional competition selected to compete in the Detroit finale include:
· Houston - Resurrection Baptist Church Mass Choir from Resurrection Baptist Church (Schertz, Texas)
· St. Louis - Faith Celebration Choir from Faith Baptist Church (Festus, Mo.)
· Washington, D.C. - The Remnant Concert Choir from Mt. Ararat Baptist Church (Washington, D.C.)
· Newark, N.J. - Marble Community Gospel Choir from Marble Collegiate Church (Newark, N.J.)
· Philadelphia - Anointed Voices of Ford Memorial Temple from Ford Memorial Temple (Philadelphia)
· Detroit - Selected of God from Praise Tabernacle (Detroit)
· Chicago - Evangel Celebration Choir from Evangel World Outreach Center (Chicago)
· Atlanta - Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir from Atlanta West Pentecostal Church (Atlanta)
· Memphis, Tenn. - Greater Community Temple Voices from Greater Community Temple Voices COGIC (Memphis, Tenn.)
· Los Angeles - City of Refuge P.S.A.L.M.S. Choir from City of Refuge (Los Angeles)
· Oakland, Calif. - Angelic Voices of Deliverance Center Choir from East Oakland Faith Deliverance Center (Oakland, Calif.)

Choirs from each city submitted audition videos, and a panel of judges selected the top choirs to perform in concert at some of the hottest venues across the country, including the United Center in Chicago; the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.; and the Toyota Center in Houston. At each regional competition, the choirs had the opportunity to win up to $15,000 in cash and prizes, while the overall winner from each show was selected to compete in the finale.

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.
Tickets ($5 & $7) on sale now and may be purchased at OlympiaEntertainment.com, the Joe Louis Arena and Fox Theatre box offices, Hockeytown Authentics in Troy (without service charge) at all Ticketmaster locations and Ticketmaster.com. To charge tickets by phone, call (800) 745-3000. For additional information, call (313) 471-6611.

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