Watch Your Favorite Memphis, Tennessee Church Choir Perform Live At FedEx Forum

MEMPHIS, TN — Tickets can now be purchased to witness the top church choirs from the Memphis-area compete in the regional round of How Sweet the Sound™, presented by Verizon Wireless. The national search for the best church choir in America makes its stop in Memphis at the FedEx Forum on October 5, 2009.

Choirs participating in the Memphis event will compete for the title of best choir in Memphis and for cash prizes of up to $15,000. The winning choir from the Memphis performance will also have an opportunity to represent Memphis in the How Sweet the Sound national grand finale event. Tickets for the concert at the FedEx Forum are $7 for floor seats and $5 for lower- and upper- tier seats.

For more information on purchasing tickets, visit www.HowSweetTheSound.com or visit the FedEx Forum Web site at www.fedexforum.com.

2009 How Sweet the Sound Memphis Finalists
After reviewing all of the audition tapes submitted by church choirs around the city, the top church choirs were selected by a panel of judges, including Michael Adrian Davis, host of the Early Morning Praise Party on 95.7 Hallelujah FM (WHAL), and Monica Coates, gospel music industry pioneer and author, to compete in the concert in Memphis. Featured mid-south choirs include:

• Few Voices Category:

• Voice of Judah – Mt. Gilead Ministries
• Bethel A.M.E. Mass Choir
• The Voice of Melrose – Melrose Baptist Church
• Favor Ministries Choir
• Good Hope Church Sanctuary Choir (Stanton, TN)
• Haywood Hills Baptist Church Choir (Nashville, TN)
• Zion Temple C.O.G.I.C. Choir (Conway, AR)

• Many Voice Category:

• Holy City C.O.G.I.C. Choir
• The Greater Community Temple C.O.G.I.C. Voices
• Music Ministry of East – Mt. Moriah East Baptist Church
• New Canney Creek Sanctuary Mass Choir (Jackson, MS)
• Gloryland Pastor’s Choir – Gloryland Family Fellowship Church (North Little Rock, AR)
• Second Presbyterian Church Adult Choir (Little Rock, AR)
• Second Baptist Church Mass Choir (Little Rock, AR)

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

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Broadcast-quality B-Roll and high-resolution images from the 2008 How Sweet the Sound tour are 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.)

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.

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