Scotland's Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the largest performing arts festival in the world, will host American gospel music in August 2004 for the first time in the festival's 56 year history, according to Paul Gudgin, Fringe Director. Renaissance Communications of Wyckoff, New Jersey, will produce this aspect of the festival.

Joe Battaglia, president of Renaissance Communications, and a 30-year veteran of the Christian Music industry, will assemble the team of artists and act as producer for this historic event in Edinburgh during next summer’s festival. Renaissance has been granted rights to all recordings and broadcasts of these performances as well.

"We very much look forward to welcoming the American Gospel Music Festival to the Fringe Family in 2004 and our staff will be happy to lend whatever assistance we can to ensure its total success," according to Gudgin.

"After visiting the Fringe Festival, and seeing how well this event is run over a three week period, and the response to their performances, I’m thrilled to be able to take American Gospel and Contemporary Christian music into this word class event," said Battaglia. "It’s always my desire to break into new markets and bring a credible witness of our faith into those environments, whether through music or the spoken word. I thank Paul Gudgin and The Fringe for allowing us this opportunity!"

The three-week extravaganza of performing and fine arts in Scotland’s capital city attracts hundreds of thousands of ticket buyers during its annual three-week run. This August, The Fringe Festival sold an astounding 1,184,738 tickets to the 1,541 shows available valued at £9,386,003, which is a staggering increase of 21% over last year.

"Smashing the million ticket mark heralds the start of a new era in the Fringe's history," according to Gudgin. "Rather than look back, now's the time to realize the Fringe's future potential to attract and accommodate ever greater audiences, accelerate more performers' careers and continue to cement Edinburgh's reputation as the world's greatest festival city."

Select Travel Service, Oakland, NJ, the leading tour operator to the United Kingdom for more than 70 years, will be the exclusive travel manager for the participating groups that Renaissance Communications will select to perform in Edinburgh. Travel packages for choir members and their family and friends will be arranged through Select.

Renaissance Communications is already in discussion with several major choirs and groups to participate in the Festival.

Pictured: Paul Gudgin (left), Director of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with Joe Battaglia of Renaissance Communications, outside the Festival's offices on The Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland.