FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 3, 2000 CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119 DRAKE CHOIR PLANS MUSIC MARATHON TO RAISE FUNDS FOR EUROPEAN TOUR Members of the Drake Choir will perform eight hours of continuous music on Wednesday, April 12, in the lobby of Olmsted Center to raise funds for the choir's upcoming European Tour. The music marathon, which will also include performances by faculty and friends of choir members, will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Choir members are soliciting sponsors for the event and hope to raise $1,000 by the end of the day, said Aimee Beckman-Collier, director of choral activities at Drake. Passersby also will be able to contribute by dropping coins in a collection basket. "We usually ask people to come to our concerts. This event gives us a chance to bring music to them," Beckmann-Collier added. "It's sort of the Drake equivalent of playing in the subway." The 60-voice Drake Choir tours throughout the Midwest annually and internationally every four years. In May, the choir will embark on a European tour that includes performances in Austria (Vienna, Melk and Salzburg) and Italy (Florence, Sienna and Venice).