Of the 1.6 million McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) restaurant employees around the
world, 12 talented vocalists have made it all the way to the finals in
the company's third Voice of McDonald's singing competition. Voice of
McDonald's is a worldwide contest to discover, recognize and reward the
most talented singers among McDonald's restaurant employees.
Along with judging by top music industry professionals, customers also
cast more than 680,000 online votes to help select the 12 finalists who
have been awarded a trip to Orlando, Fla., along with a guest, to follow
their dreams and participate in the final competition to be held at
McDonald's Worldwide Owner/Operator Convention in April 2010.
"The musical talent we've seen this year is incredible," said Rich
Floersch, McDonald's executive vice president and global chief human
resources officer. "McDonald's makes it possible for our employees to
follow their dreams, both personally and professionally. These stars from
behind the counters of our restaurants are an inspiration for all of us.
Check them out, you won't be disappointed."
The 12 global finalists are:
-- Weijie Wu - Liwan District, Guanzhon, China
-- Ni Kadek Arini - Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
-- Yui Nakayama - Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
-- Jin Hur - Goyang City, South Korea
-- Chenee Capuyan - Davao Del Sur, Davao, Philippines
-- Gaetan Nieto - Antibes, France
-- Roger Corneille - Deurne, Netherlands
-- Ana Cepello Cobos - Seville, Spain
-- Evelyn Cardenas Portillo - San Jose, Costa Rica
-- Jesus Miguel Molinares Espinoza - Lima, Peru
-- Fatima Poggi - Pinckney, Michigan, United States
-- Eddie Davenport - Stockbridge, Michigan, United States
Once in Orlando, finalists will perform in two rounds of final
competition on a massive concert stage with a live orchestra in front of15,000 McDonald's owner/operators, employees and suppliers in attendance
at McDonald's Worldwide Owner/Operator Convention.
An entourage will provide each finalist with expertise on hair and makeup,
choreography, stage presence and vocal coaching. The competition will be
judged by a professional panel of international judges from the vocal and
music industry, including the co-president of Sony/ATV Music Jody Gerson
and prominent entertainment attorney and agent Ken Hertz of Goldring,
Hertz and Lichtenstein LLP.
The Voice of McDonald's grand-prize winner will take home $25,000. The
second prize includes $10,000, third prize receives $5,000 and all other
finalists will win $1,500. All finalists also will receive $500 for their
restaurants and a $1,000 donation in their names for their local Ronald
McDonald House Charities(R) or other children's charity.
To read about each of the Voice of McDonald's finalists and see their
music videos, visit www.mcdonalds.com/voice.
For a social media version of this release, including a downloadable
image, visit
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Mcdonald'S-NYSE-MCD-1094736.html.
About McDonald's
McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) is the leading global foodservice retailer with
more than 32,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. Approximately 80
percent of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by
franchisees. Please visit our website at www.aboutmcdonalds.com to learn
more about the Company.
Copyright2009 McDonald's, McDonald's Corp., Voice of McDonald's and Sony
ATV are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective
companies.