Verizon’s How Sweet The Sound Gospel Celebration 2011

March 18, 2011– Detroit-area church choirs can register now for Verizon’s How Sweet the Sound Gospel Celebration, the country’s most prestigious gospel music experience. Interested Detroit-area choir members can visit www.HowSweetTheSound.com through Friday, April 15 to register and submit an audition video for the chance to showcase their talents in a major concert arena, gain exposure for their church, and win up to $50,000.           

            Verizon’s How Sweet the Sound is a yearlong series of gospel experiences developed by Verizon to enable choirs to unite with a broader community in celebration of their passion for gospel music. When the program comes to Detroit in the fall, choirs will sing before a packed arena and a panel of popular gospel artists for the chance to be named the best church choir in the Detroit area and advance to the national finale.

In 2010 the Ypsilanti, Michigan-based Burning Bush International Ministries Mass Choir was named the overall winner of the Detroit regional event and won the opportunity to compete in the finale held in Washington, D.C.  In February 2011, the 2009 How Sweet the Sound Detroit overall winning choir, the Grosse Pointe, Michigan-based Selected of God, was featured along with music icon Eminem in a Chrysler commercial that premiered during the Super Bowl.

During the tour, Verizon will invite Detroit-area participants to collect and donate no-longer used wireless phones to HopeLine from Verizon. The long-running HopeLine program turns no-longer-used wireless phones into support for those affected by domestic violence. Proceeds from the HopeLine program are used to provide wireless phones and airtime to victims of domestic violence and cash grants to local shelters and non-profit organizations that focus on domestic violence prevention, awareness and advocacy. More than 11,000 phones were collected during the 2010 regional tour.

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(EDITOR’S NOTE: Broadcast-quality B-Roll featuring 2010 Verizon’s How Sweet the Sound Gospel Celebration coverage is available online.  Log on to Verizon Wireless’ Multimedia Library at http://verizonwireless.mediaseed.tv/Story.aspx?story=37569 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 fastest and most advanced 4G network and largest and most reliable 3G network, and serves more than 94 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 82,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: 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.