RIZEN TO PERFORM AT 22ND ANNUAL GOSPEL MUSIC EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Retro Gospel Girl Group Featured Performer at GMWA Convention

Nashville, TN ­ ChezMusique/Light Records retro gospel girl group RiZen will be a featured performer at the 22nd Annual Gospel Music Excellence Awards during the 2003 Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA) Annual Convention. The group is also slated to perform at several other events during the convention, which will be held at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, FL from August 9 ­ 15.

RiZen, recently named the winner of the New Artist Spotlight Award at the 2003 Retailers Choice Awards, is slated to perform at the Sunday night GMWA Midnight Service.  The group will also perform at Tuesday nightıs GMWA Nightly Service, where they will share the stage with gospel star CeCe Winans, and at Thursday eveningıs GMWA Quartet Night Musical.

While in Florida, RiZen will also perform at Tampaıs Touching All Communities "Adopt-A-Family" Benefit Concert on Saturday, August 16.  The event, created by Philadelphia-based Supreme Gospel Entertainment and Ministries, will take place at the Brown Memorial Church of God in Christ and will benefit underprivileged families in the Tampa area.

RiZenıs crowd-pleasing energy and sound are reminiscent of the girl groups of the Œ60s, such as The Caravans, which launched the careers of gospel music legends Shirley Caesar and Albertina Walker, among others.  The onstage energy and gutsiness of RiZenıs live show has been compared to that of a young Aretha Franklin with a twist of early Tina Turner and a new millennium attitude.

RiZen is the first artist signed to the ChezMusique label, which officially launched this month with RiZenıs debut.  ChezMusique was founded earlier this year by award-winning producer Sanchez Harley, a former artist and writer at Motown Records.  Harley, who has helmed hit projects in both the secular and gospel fields for nearly every major record label in the music industry, has worked with a list of mega-artists that includes Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams, Hezekiah Walker, Daryl Coley, Kenny Rogers, Michael McDonald, John Hiatt, Patti Austin and numerous GMWA Mass Choir recordings.  The winner of two Dove Awards, Harley has produced three Grammy Award-winning albums and six Stellar Award-winning albums through his production company, Chez Musical.  For more information about Harley or ChezMusique visit www.sanchezharley.com or www.chezmusique.com.

RiZen is distributed and marketed through Light Records, one of three full-service labels, along with a distribution arm, that make up the Compendia Media Group.  Compendia Music is a division of Compendia Media Group, an integrated entertainment and media management company operating in the areas of music, home video, direct marketing, publishing and interactive TV.

RiZen is distributed by Compendia Distribution, Spring Arbor Distributors, New Day Christian Distributors, Central South Christian Distribution, Appalachian Distributors, Riverside Distributors and Anchor Distributors.