NQC READIES FOR SPRING BREAK! Brand New Event Brings Christian Music’s Finest to Louisville, KY

Nashville, TN – The organizers of NQC, the National Quartet Convention, have announced a brand new concert event to take place in Louisville, KY. NQC SPRING BREAK will bring together Christian music’s finest for two exciting days and three memorable concerts. Make your plans now for Thursday, March 27, 2014 and Friday, March 28, 2014 at Southeast Christian Church. Tickets are now available online at www.nqconline.com.

“We are excited to begin a new partnership with Southeast Christian Church to keep this great gospel music in Louisville, KY,” said Clarke Beasley, Executive Vice President of NQC. “We’ve assembled some of the best talent in the industry and are looking forward to a wonderful time!”

Featured performers for the two-day event include Jason Crabb, Kingdom Heirs, the Collingsworth Family, Booth Brothers, Mark Trammell Quartet, Legacy 5, Greater Vision, Dailey & Vincent, Gene McDonald and the Sneed Family. A full artist schedule and lineup is available online.

The 2014 NQC moves from Louisville to the city of Pigeon Forge, TN, and will take place at the Leconte Center during the week of September 21-27. Complete information about the 2014 event, as well as a complete schedule of activities may be obtained by visiting www.nqconline.com.

The Torchmen Quartet Nominated for Two GMA Canada Awards

St. Catharines, Ontario (September 23, 2013) - The Torchmen Quartet from St. Catharines, Ontario have been nominated for two GMA Canada Covenant Awards: 2013 Group of the Year and 2013 Southern Gospel Album of the Year. The nominated recording, A New Perspective, was produced and mixed by The Torchmen’s Jon Hisey. The group is currently in their 44th year of ministry and has often appeared on the mainstage at the National Quartet Convention in Louisville Kentucky.

”Even though we do what we do to serve the Lord and touch people for Him with our music and words, it is appreciated to be recognized for all the time and work we put in to produce a product,” said Mike Moran, The Torchmen’s manager and baritone singer. “We are grateful for the privilege of singing for Him.”

The Torchmen Quartet have become Canada’s premier Southern Gospel Quartet and have travelled across most of North America with their music. They have just released their latest album, Hymns: Lest We Forget. The Grammy-nominated Torchmen Quartet have been recipients of numerous Covenant awards, including the 2012 Southern Gospel Album Of The Year, 2010 Southern Gospel Song Of The Year and the 2007 Southern Gospel Album Of The Year. Current group members include Mike Moran, Jon Hisey, Sandy McGregor and Jeff Tritton. More information on The Torchmen Quartet can be found at http://www.torchqt.com/ .

The Gospel Music Association of Canada will hold their 35th Covenant Awards on November 6, 2013 at the Crossroads Centre in Burlington, Ontario. The Awards will be televised on CTS and include many performances by acclaimed Canadian artists. More information on GMA Canada can be found athttp://www.gmacanada.ca/ .

2013 National Quartet Convention – A Celebration of Two Decades of Memories

Louisville, KY – The 56th Annual National Quartet Convention is now in the history books. For seven consecutive days, Southern Gospel Music fans from more than 40 states and at least a half dozen countries experienced the city of Louisville, KY, one more time. The week-long event officially concluded on Saturday, September 14, as production trucks were packed, exhibit booths disassembled, cars, vans and buses loaded, and the Kentucky Fair & Expo Center silent once again, marking the end of an era – the end of the National Quartet Convention in Louisville.
Southern Gospel Music’s premier event first moved to Louisville from the city of Nashville in 1994. There were those who were not in favor of the move from Music City USA. Even Convention Board members admitted that the move was quite bold. Louisville’s Freedom Hall held twice as many seats as the Muncipal Auditorim in Nashville, TN, which had been the NQC home for more than a decade. Fortunately, for the NQC Board, fans, artists and industry members, the move proved to be the right one, as the 1994 NQC set record attendance figures, with evening concert attendance more than doubling and the exhibit area nearly quadrupling. Since arriving in Louisville, the Convention has experienced unprecedented growth, with many special events taking place over the past two decades.
Many Convention attendees, including artists and fans have enjoyed all 20 years in Louisville. While bittersweet sentiments could be felt throughout the 2013 NQC, an air of excitement was also present. Memories of Louisville will forever remain in hearts; nevertheless, eager anticipation awaits for those who make preparations to converge upon the city that will soon be the NQC’s new home. According to Clarke Beasley, NQC Executive Director, the final year in Louisville was a great success. “This year many nights had greater attendance than last year, and our subscriber based webcast set an all-time record,” Beasley stated. “Fans attending enjoyed another wonderful year in Louisville, but there is obviously eager anticipation for next year in Pigeon Forge, as advances for next year’s seating and hotel reservations set advance sales records. So we are very excited as the NQC begins a new era.”
The 2013 Convention provided many special memories during it’s final year in Louisville. Many of Gospel music’s most popular recording artists were featured at this year’s event, including multi-award winning recording artists like The Gaither Vocal Band, The Gatlins, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Jason Crabb, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, The Isaacs, Gordon Mote, The Booth Brothers, The Kingdom Heirs, The Hoppers, Greater Vision and The Mark Trammel Quartet. Additionally, the event featured noted speakers such as Ken Davis, Dr David Jeremiah, Dr Johnny Hunt and Dennis Swanberg. As attendees reminisced about the past 20 years in Louisville, they look forward to making many new memories in Pigeon Forge. “I am really excited,” one long-time Convention attendee stated. “I’ve been to Louisville every year, and I attended the Convention in Nashville before Louisville. In fact, I haven’t missed a year since 1983, and I don’t plan to miss being in Pigeon Forge in 2014. Wherever the music is, I plan to go!”
The 2014 National Quartet Convention will take place at the Leconte Center in Pigeon Forge, TN, as Gospel Music’s premier annual event will take place the week of September 21-27, 2013. Visit www.nqconline.com, or call 1-800-845-8499 for complete information.

National Quartet Convention To Offer FREE FRIDAY Webcast

Louisville, KY - During the week of September 8 through September 14 over 40,000 Southern Gospel Music fans, representing at least 40 states and more than a half dozen foreign countries will travel to Louisville, KY, for the 56th Annual National Quartet Convention. This will be the 20th and final Convention in Louisville, before the event moves to the city of Pigeon Forge, TN, in 2014.

This year’s Convention will no doubt be special for those attending this final year in the city of Louisville. The world’s largest gathering of Southern gospel musicians and fans began meeting annually at Freedom Hall in 1994 bringing tens of thousands of people to the city. In 2012, the NQC brought 40,000 people to Louisville with an economic impact of $7,955,500. “The NQC has enjoyed remarkable success in Louisville as the Kentucky Expo Center gave us room to grow and reach our full potential. Though we feel the need to relocate to a vacation destination and a mobility friendly venue for the immediate future, we will always looks back fondly at our 20 conventions in Louisville as they were all more successful than any of the other NQC’s that had occurred prior to moving to Louisville.,” said Clarke Beasley, Executive Director of the NQC.

The new venue will be located in Pigeon Forge, TN, the state which hosted the very first NQC in 1958. Long-time Convention attendees are looking forward to the move; however, many wonderful memories have been made in Louisville, where the Convention has seen tremendous growth. With this year being the final year in Louisville special festivities are plan to celebrate the success of Louisville and the excitement that awaits in Pigeon Forge.

While thousands of fans will make their way to Louisville, many who are unable to attend the event in person will have the opportunity to watch performances taking place in Freedom Hall live, as it happens, or on demand through the NQC’s popular website, www.nqconline.com. All events taking place in Freedom Hall throughout NQC Week will be available through the webcast. This is a feature the NQC has offered for several years now; however, in celebration of the final year in Louisville, the NQC is making the Friday webcast available to the public for free. NQC Free Friday is expected to produce viewership from all over the world. “Through the webcast, subscribers can watch all events live, as they occur on the main stage in Freedom Hall or on demand through the end of October,” Beasley explains. “The webcast has been very popular over the past few years. This year we are thrilled to offer Free Friday, as we expect this to be an extraordinary day, celebrating the rich history the Convention has enjoyed during our two decades in the city of Louisville.” In addition to viewing the festivities of NQC 2013 over the NQC webcast on a computer, subscribers to the webcast will also be able to view the webcast on their televisions through their Roku device.

Complete information about the 2013 National Quartet Convention, as well as a complete schedule of events scheduled throughout the week may be obtained by calling 1-800-846-8499 or visiting www.nqconline.com.
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NQC MUSIC AWARDS FINAL NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

NATIONAL QUARTET CONVENTION'S 2013 NQC MUSIC AWARDS FINAL NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED TODAY

Awards Ceremony To Be Held Friday, September 13, 2013 During 56th Annual NQC in Louisville, KY

Final Round Voting Begins July 25, 2013

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (July 23, 2013) – Nominations for the 2013 Annual NQC Music Awards were announced today by Clarke Beasley, Executive Vice President, National Quartet Convention, and reflect a mix of the best and brightest in Gospel music over the past year.

Based on both fan popularity and professional excellence, the awards will be presented in two categories: Fan Awards and Industry Awards. The Fan Award categories will be voted on by members of the NQC email list and the Industry Awards will be voted on by music professionals that participate as exhibitors during the National Quartet Convention.

The awards will be presented on Friday, September 13, 2013, at the 53rd Annual National Quartet Convention (NQC) in Louisville, KY during a special afternoon session in Freedom Hall.

“We are excited to once again present the NQC Music Awards during the National Quartet Convention!” states Clarke Beasley. “This event was a highlight of the convention last year and we are thrilled to once again host this ceremony.”

NQC has partnered with the Southern Gospel Music Guild (SGMG) to supervise and determine the category criteria and screened entries for eligibility. The professional membership of the SGMG will also determine the recipient of the Les Beasley Impact Award, given to an individual or company that has made a major impact in the field of Gospel Music.

Voting for the Fan Award categories will begin on July 25 through ballots emailed to voters. For more information, visit www.NQConline.com.

Get social with NQC at Facebook.com/NQConline and Twitter @NQConline. Use the hashtag #NQCMusicAwards to join the conversation.

A complete listing of the Final Nominations for the 2013 NQC Music Awards is below.

To obtain a complete schedule of events scheduled during the 2013 National Quartet Convention, visit www.nqconline.com.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL QUARTET CONVENTION:
2013 marks the 56th Annual National Quartet Convention. The Convention has made its home in the city of Louisville since 1994 but will move to a new facility in Pigeon Forge, TN in 2014. Over 40,000 people are expected to attend the 2013 event with at least 40 states and half-dozen foreign countries represented. The Convention is Christian music's largest marketplace and largest annual event with more than 500 exhibitors and nearly 300 Southern Gospel recording artists in attendance. Seats for daily and evening performances may be purchased at the NQC office, online at www.nqconline.com or on site during the week of the Convention in the North Wing lobby at the Kentucky Expo Center.

ABOUT THE SOUTHERN GOSPEL MUSIC GUILD:
In 1986, several Southern Gospel music leaders decided the industry needed an organization to foster the growth of the Southern Gospel music genre. Through the years, the Guild has grown to include every facet of the Southern Gospel music industry, encompassing artists (full-time and part-time), record companies, radio, promoters, publishers, distributors, talent management, media representatives, and booking agents. These professionals work together collectively to expand the economic base of the Southern Gospel Music industry.


2013 NQC MUSIC AWARDS FINAL NOMATIONS:

» FAN CATEGORIES

Bass Singer of the Year Nominees:
Pat Barker - Mark Trammell Quartet
Eric Bennett - Triumphant Quartet
Jeff Chapman - Kingdom Heirs
Tim Duncan - Canton Junction
Tracy Stuffle - Perrys

Baritone Singer of the Year Nominees:
Jim Brady - Booth Brothers
Rodney Griffin - Greater Vision
Scott Inman - Triumphant Quartet
Mark Lowry - Gaither Vocal Band
Mark Trammell - Mark Trammell Quartet

Lead Singer of the Year Nominees:
Ronnie Booth - Booth Brothers
Michael English - Gaither Vocal Band
Scott Fowler - Legacy Five
Arthur Rice - Kingdom Heirs
Gerald Wolfe - Greater Vision

Tenor Singer of the Year Nominees:
Chris Allman - Greater Vision
Michael Booth - Booth Brothers
Brian Free - Brian Free & Assurance
Wes Hampton - Gaither Vocal Band
David Phelps - Gaither Vocal Band
David Sutton - Triumphant Quartet

Soprano Singer of the Year Nominees:
Brooklyn Collingsworth - Collingsworth Family
Kim Hopper - Hoppers
Sonya Isaacs Yeary - Isaacs
Karen Peck Gooch - Karen Peck & New River
Lauren Talley Alvey - Talleys

Alto Singer of the Year Nominees:
Courtney Collingsworth - Collingsworth Family
Kim Collingsworth - Collingsworth Family
Sheri Easter - Jeff & Sheri Easter
Connie Hopper - Hoppers
Libbi Stuffle - Perrys

Soloist of the Year Award Nominees:
Mark Bishop
Jason Crabb
TaRanda Greene
Ivan Parker
Guy Penrod

Male Group of the Year Nominees:
Booth Brothers
Gaither Vocal Band
Greater Vision
Kingdom Heirs
Triumphant Quartet

Mixed Group of the Year Nominees:
Collingsworth Family
Hoppers
Isaacs
Karen Peck & New River
Perrys

Musician of the Year Nominees:
Kim Collingsworth - Collingsworth Family
Gordon Mote
Jeff Stice - Triumphant Quartet
Kevin Williams - Gaither Vocal Band
Gerald Wolfe - Greater Vision

Album of the Year Nominees:
A Tribute to the Songs of Bill & Gloria Gaither - Booth Brothers
For All He's Done - Greater Vision
Greatest Hits Live - Booth Brothers
Redeeming the Time - Kingdom Heirs
Through the Night - Perrys

Video of the Year:
Classic - David Phelps
I Want to be That Man - Brian Free & Assurance
I Wish We'd All Been Ready - Hoppers
Lari Goss-The Man Behind the Music - Multiple Artists
Pure and Simple - Gaither Vocal Band

Song of the Year Nominees:
Glorious Freedom - Gaither Vocal Band
He Didn't Just Carry the Cross, He Carried Me - Hoppers
He Didn't When He Could Have Passed By - Greater Vision
I Got a Hold of God This Morning - Perrys
I Played in the Band and Sang in the Choir - Booth Brothers
I Want to be That Man - Brian Free & Assurance
I'm Still Amazed - Legacy Five
Just Beyond the Sunset - Kingdom Heirs
Take it from Me Meshach - Triumphant Quartet
Unspoken Request - McKameys

» INDUSTRY CATEGORIES

Producer/Arranger of the Year:
Jeff Collins
Ben Isaacs
Donna King
Rick Sandidge
Roger Talley

Promoter of the Year:
Frank Arnold
Bill Bailey
Landon Beene
Bob Brumley
Ray Flynn
Bill Gaither
Robert York

Radio Station of the Year
WXRI Winston-Salem, NC
WGUS Augusta, GA
KWFC Springfield, MO
WBTX Broadway, VA
WWWC Wilksboro, NC

Songwriter of the Year Award:
The SGMG Awards and Criteria Committee will pull the Singing News radio charts for the eligibility time period and will assign each songwriter fifteen points for a number one song, ten points for a song in the top ten and five points for a song in the top 20. The total points for the eligibility period will be tabulated for each writer and the writer with the most points will be awarded Songwriter of the Year.

iTickets.com Selected As National Quartet Convention Official Event Admissions Agency

56th Annual Event To Welcome 40,000 Attendees To Louisville, KY in September 2013


NASHVILLE, TN – April 15, 2013 – The National Quartet Convention officially announced the selection of iTickets as their event admissions partner.

This year marks the 56th Annual National Quartet Convention. The Convention has made its home in the city of Louisville since 1994. Approximately 40,000 people will attend the 2013 event, which takes place September 8-14, with at least 40 states and a half dozen foreign countries represented. The Convention is Christian music's largest marketplace and largest annual event with more than 500 exhibitors and nearly 300 Southern Gospel recording artists in attendance.

“iTickets has become the gold standard when it comes to providing admissions services for Christian events, and the NQC is delighted to have them as our partner going forward as we conclude our 20th convention in Louisville and make the move to our new home in Pigeon Forge for 2014, ” stated Clarke Beasley, Executive Vice President of the NQC. “I know our customers will receive outstanding service with iTickets taking care of them.”

"We are truly honored to be asked to provide this service for NQC," said Ed Novak, president of iTickets. "I can remember my first NQC about 20 years ago and realizing what a special opportunity it was for fans and artists to intermingle, tell stories, and have fun over the course of six days while enjoying daily concerts. We look forward to working with both NQC and their fans."

iTickets services the church and family-friendly event markets and has been providing box office solutions for concerts and events since 1993. With a focus on customer service, iTickets has managed event admissions for over 20,000 Christian events.

Today, iTickets handles ticket sales for events throughout the continental US, Canada, and South Africa. With 20 years of ticketing experience, iTickets has become the market leader and a trusted name. Its web site is the top ranked site for Christian event information, receiving between 3 and 3.5 million page views and 360,000 to 460,000 unique visitors per month. http://www.iTickets.com.

For more information on the National Quartet Convention, please visit www.NQConline.com.