Thousands Set To Return for Seven Days of Concerts in Great Smoky Mountains Resort City
Pigeon Forge, TN – The attention of the southern gospel music industry will again be on Pigeon Forge, Tenn., from September 27 – October 3, 2015, when hundreds of performers and approximately 40,000 fans unite for the 59th Annual NQC (National Quartet Convention.)
“Coming off of our largest convention in 13 years, we are excited about what is in store for our second year in Pigeon Forge,†said Clarke Beasley, Executive Vice President.
J.D. Sumner, a gospel music legend and former backup singer for Elvis Presley, founded the NQC in 1957 in Memphis, co-producing it with James Blackwood. It later moved to Nashville and has been in Louisville, Ky., for 20 years.
Pigeon Forge, TN’s LeConte Center at Pigeon Forge serves as the home for the annual convention – a $45 million special events facility that opened in 2013. The center’s primary space will be configured for 11,000 seats for the NQC, with no seat more than 150 feet from the stage.
Featured artists are a “Who’s Who†of southern gospel music, and nightly concerts feature up to 20 acts. Among them are the Booth Brothers, Greater Vision, the Hoppers, the Kingdom Heirs, Triumphant and the Collingsworth Family, as well as prominent soloists such as Grammy Award winner Jason Crabb.
Special events during the week include the Singing News Fan Awards, a fan-voted program of Singing News Magazine, on Sept. 30, the keynote address by Dr. David Jeremiah on Oct. 2nd , the Cathedrals’ Family Reunion featuring several alumni of gospel’s most celebrated group on Sept. 30th and a Gospel Music Hymn Sing hosted by Gerald Wolfe on Oct. 3rd.
“We are excited about the enhancements we have made to the production this year including elevated seating and doubling the amount of large screens, and we are also excited about the improvements the LeConte Center has made to the acoustic environment of the Center with the installation of acoustical treatment on the walls. As much as our attendees enjoyed the event’s first year in Pigeon Forge, we are confident that they will enjoy this year even more,†said Clarke Beasley.
Admission information for 2015 concerts is available online at nqconline.com, by calling toll-free 800-846-8499 and at the door.
Visitor information about Pigeon Forge is available online at MyPigeonForge.com and by calling 800-251-9100.
###
Dont forget to make your plans to return to Pigeon Forge TN on November 2 – 7 for the Creekside Gospel Music Convention and the 2015 Diamond Awards, at the Smoky Mountain Resort. Reserve your tickets today at www.creeksidegospelmusicconvention.com
