Verizon's 'How Sweet The Sound' Goes On Tour To Find The 2009 Best Church Choir In America

How Sweet the Sound is back this year to give church choirs in 11 cities a chance to win the title of "The Best Church Choir in America" and up to $50,000 in cash and prizes, and will return to Joe Louis Arena at 7:30 p.m. Monday, September 28.

"How Sweet the Sound is an opportunity to celebrate the unique ways that music connects people," said Mike Lanman, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. "Gospel is a genre that attracts people from all walks of life which is what makes this competition so exciting. We look forward to meeting and recognizing the many volunteers who make church choirs such an important part of the community."

Interested choir representatives can visit www.HowSweetTheSound.com for more information on official rules and to register for a chance to compete at concerts that will take place on the following dates:
Sept. 19 in Houston
Sept. 21 in St. Louis
Sept. 24 in Washington, D.C.
Sept. 25 in Philadelphia
Sept. 26 in Newark, N.J.
Sept. 28 in Detroit
Sept. 30 in Chicago
Oct. 2 in Atlanta
Oct. 5 in Memphis, Tenn.
Oct. 8 in Los Angeles
Oct. 10 in Oakland, Calif.

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, Reverend Bernard Sutton, the choir used their prize money to help build the congregation a new sanctuary.

Donald Lawrence, GRAMMY®-winning, songwriter, producer, arranger and music director, will emcee the tour for the second full year, and 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.

To entertain concert-goers again this year, Verizon Wireless will bring back the green screen at each tour stop for Gospel Karaoke. Participants can sing along with a gospel choir in front of a green screen so that their projected image is displayed onstage with the participating group. A copy of their performance can be sent to their mobile phones or uploaded to a Web site to be shared with friends and family.

Additional details will be announced as the selection process gets underway. All details about the entry and selection process and the official rules can be found by visiting www.HowSweetTheSound.com or by calling 800-230-0053. 

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and data network, serving more than 80 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 85,000 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) go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, July 13 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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