Tickets going fast for World Choir Games events

CINCINNATI - There is still time to buy tickets for the 2012 World Choir Games in Cincinnati, but some of the choice seats for key events are going quickly.

More than 350 choirs will join 15,000 visitors expected from 60 nations for the games. Choirs will compete in 23 musical categories -- 12 the first week and 11 the second.

Competition from July 5-7 will be in Female Choirs, Folklore, Jazz, Male Choirs, Mixed Boys Choir, Mixed Choirs    Mixed Youth Choirs, Musica Sacra, Popular Choral Music and Youth Choirs of Equal Voices.

The second week runs from July 11-13 and includes Barbershop, Children's Choirs, Female Chamber Choirs, Gospel, Male Chamber Choirs, Mixed Chamber Choirs, Music of the Religions, Musica Contemporanea, Scenic Folklore. Show Choir, Spiritual and Young Children's Choirs.

The exact schedule of when choirs will compete at what venue is available at http://www.wcpo.com/generic/entertainment/world_choir_games/World-Choir-Games-2012-Schedule . They're going to be held at Music Hall and the School for Creative and Performing Arts in the Over-the-Rhine, the Aronoff Center and Cincinnati Masonic Center, Downtown, and Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington.

The Opening, Closing and Awards Ceremonies will be held at U.S. Bank Arena.  The headquarters for the games is the Duke Energy Center.

Tickets have been broken down into several categories:

COMPETITON PASSES
* One-Day Flex Pass -- ($15)
* Three-Day Competition Flex Pass - July 5-7 -- ($40)
* Three-Day Competition Flex Pass - July 11-13 -- ($40)

Flex-Passes let people see competitions at up to five venues on a given day.

It's very similar to a music festival where you have different bands set up on different states all over that festival.

If you buy $20 worth of Procter & Gamble products, you get $10 off the $40 three-day Flex-Pass.
     
CEREMONIES

* OPENING -- July 4 -- ($25 to $150) - U.S. Bank Arena
The Opening Ceremony at U.S. Bank Arena will feature a parade of nations, all the participating choirs and plenty of music.

* AWARDS -- July 7, 8, 13, 14 -- ($15 to $20) - U.S. Bank Arena
Four Awards Ceremonies are scheduled for the games.  If past experience is any indication, these will be some of the most emotional moments of the games.  Choirs will not know whether they've won their category until the program begins.

* CLOSING -- July 14 -- ($20 to $50) - U.S. Bank Arena
Competitors will say farewell to Cincinnati and head home.  Before they do that, they'll be treated to an evening of music featuring Tony-Award-Winning Idina Menzel, the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, the May Festival Chorus and a mass choir of 700 members singing an international medley.

CELEBRATION CONCERTS
* July 5, 6, 8, 11 and 12 -- ($28 to $42) -- Various locations
Five Celebration Concerts are scheduled, each focusing on a specific musical form such as pop, youth, gospel or religion.

CHAMPIONS CONCERTS
* July 8, 14 -- ($35 to $60) -- Various locations with the best of the best.

Nobody will know who is performing until after the Champions have been named during the various Awards Ceremonies.

CELEBRATION OF NATIONS
     * July 10 -- Free Downtown Parade and Party -- (Free)

You can buy tickets at http://2012worldchoirgames.com/Section/2012-games/tickets/tickets .