Encore! The Verizon Music Festival Returns in 2004 To Delight Music Fans in Three Cities

NEW YORK - The Verizon Music Festival is back by popular demand and will be exciting audiences with spectacular pop, hip-hop, jazz, Latin and R&B events taking place in three U.S. cities.

Among the red-hot headliners on this year's festival will be hip-hop's premier female artist Missy Elliott, performing solo following her nationwide appearances as part of the Verizon Ladies Firesst Tour; multi-platinum singer/songwriter Jewel; Grammy Award-winning songstress k.d. lang; and salsa sensation Victor Manuelle. The festival will run April 29-May 1 in New York; May 15-23 in Tampa; and July 22-25 in Los Angeles.

"Now in its fourth year, the Verizon Music Festival continues to excite audiences with some of the best sounds in music today," said Bob Ingalls, president of Verizon's Retail Markets Group. "Our customers have told us they enjoy the shows, the performers and the venues. We've obviously hit on the right mix to delight and entertain the communities and customers we serve."

George Wein, CEO of Festival Productions Inc. and producer of the Verizon Music Festival, said, "With the successful track record of the Verizon Music Festival, we've really raised the bar for presenting dynamic music events. By creating concerts that suit the diverse culture and interests of each city, we've established the Verizon Music Festival as being one big national celebration of music."

The 2004 Verizon Music Festival will include performances held in a variety of venues ranging from premier concert halls, to intimate clubs and outdoor sites. Among the celebrated artists who have participated in past performances of the Verizon Music Festival are: Norah Jones, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Erykah Badu, Smokey Robinson, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Joe Cocker, Aimee Mann, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.

Complete artist lineups and ticket information for the Verizon Music Festival will be announced shortly. For more information on the 2004 Verizon Music Festival, music lovers can call 212-501-1390.

Verizon Communications

A Fortune 10 company, Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services, with approximately $68 billion in annual revenues. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world, as measured by directory titles and circulation. Verizon's international presence includes wireline and wireless communications operations and investments, primarily in the Americas and Europe. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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