For Immediate Release
   
Raleigh, NC -- (October 23, 2015) -- Multi-Platinum-selling country music artist and Garner, NC-native Scotty McCreery will receive the 2016 Patrick D. Kenan Award for Vocal Health and Wellness at Duke Voice Care Center’s 10^th Annual World Voice Day Celebration Tuesday, March 29, 2016 at the Cary Arts Center in Cary, NC. 

McCreery is one of country music’s hottest rising stars. In just four short years, he has sold more than 2.5 million albums, earned Platinum and Gold album certifications, achieved Top Ten hits and multiple awards, and performed concerts around the nation. Even with his vocally demanding schedule, his distinctive deep voice remains strong and true, in large part due to his mindful attention to healthy vocal habits. “My voice is my livelihood, so taking care of it is essential,” said McCreery. “I make sure to stay as healthy as I can and not put any strain on my voice…well, unless I’m at an NC State sporting event! I also consult with my doctors regularly to make sure my vocal cords remain in great condition.” McCreery will share more secrets for keeping voices healthy at the event, which begins at 7 PM. The audience will also be treated to his captivating baritone as he performs a brief acoustic set.

World Voice Day is an international day of celebration of the human voice. Singers, actors, teachers and preachers need healthy voices to do their jobs, but we all need our voices to connect us to the world. According to Ingo Titze, renowned voice scientist and President of the Pan-American Vocology Association, “Voice carries not only informational messages, but it carries our feelings, our identity, our personality, and our state of health. It even gives clues about our confidence and benevolence. Texting can do little of that. Let’s keep vocalizing.” Duke Voice Care Center has led the Triangle’s observation of World Voice Day since 2007. 

Duke Voice Care Center is a specialty practice in the Division of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences at Duke Medicine. The Duke Voice Care team includes laryngologists (ENT doctors with special training in caring for voices), speech-language pathologists and singing voice rehabilitation specialists (speech-language pathologists who are also performers and voice teachers) who work collaboratively to evaluate and treat voice problems. Duke Voice Care Center also hosts a number of educational programs throughout the year including presentations and workshops. DVCC’s annual World Voice Day Celebration is usually their biggest vocal health event of the year.

In 2010, Duke Voice Care Center announced the establishment of the Patrick D. Kenan Award for Vocal Health and Wellness, to be presented annually to individuals whose lives and careers increase awareness of the importance of the human voice. The award pays tribute to the legacy of a dynamic and ambitious Duke physician and performer, Patrick D. Kenan. Designated as a Duke Center for Excellence in 2006, Duke Voice Care Center was formed in large part as a result of Dr. Kenan’s vision for vocal health. Country music sensation McCreery will be the eighth recipient of the award. “We look forward to honoring the work of this extraordinary young singer,” says Leda Scearce, Director of DVCC’s Performing Voice Program. Previous PDK Award honorees have been Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon, international opera star bass-baritone Simon Estes, National Public Radio broadcaster Carl Kasell, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Tift Merritt, the Triangle-based band Delta Rae, and Durham’s all-male chorus 100 Men In Black.

Each year at World Voice Day, the vocal health experts of Duke Voice Care Center help people learn about how the voice works, how people can keep their voices healthy and strong, and what to do if they have a voice problem. “Voices are the foundation of who we are. Our voices serve to inspire us, contributing to our beliefs and values, influencing the collective history of the human race. We honor our voices on World Voice Day and the unique contribution of everyone’s voice signature,” says Duke Voice Care Center Director David Witsell, MD, MHS. In addition to McCreery’s appearance, DVCC’s 2016 World Voice Day Celebration will feature educational learning sessions, demonstrations, games, prizes and a vocal health fair.

For more information on Duke Voice Care Center, visit www.dukevoicecare.org.  Follow us on Twitter @dukevoicecare.

For more information on World Voice Day activities around the world, see http://world-voice-day.org/

Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, March 29, 7 pm
Location and address: Cary Arts Center, 101 Dry Avenue, Cary NC
Tickets: $25 Adults; $15 Students
Ticket or Registration Location/Methods:

• Purchase tickets in person at The Cary Theater, T-F 11 AM­ – 6 PM and Sat 10 AM – 1 PM
• Purchase tickets in person at the Cary Arts Center, Mon. 4–8 PM
• Purchase tickets anytime online at www.etix.com
• Purchase tickets through the eTix Phone Center, 1-800-514-3849, M-Sat. 9 AM –8 PM or Sun 12–8 PM

 
About Scotty McCreery
Scotty McCreery is a Mercury Nashville / 19 / Interscope recording artist who can currently be heard on country radio with his hit song “Southern Belle,” the first single from his upcoming new album due out in 2016. The singer/songwriter just finished serving as the Special Guest on the Rascal Flatts RIOT 2015 Tour, which played across the nation all summer. He is also headlining his own solo shows. McCreery scored two consecutive Top 10 hits (the Platinum-certified “See You Tonight” and the Gold-certified “Feelin’ It”) from his last album, See You Tonight, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. It was the ACM and CMT Award winner’s third album to debut at No. 1 on a Billboard chart following his Platinum-certified first album Clear As Day, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart and featured two Platinum-certified singles (“I Love You This Big” and “The Trouble with Girls”), and his Gold-certified album Christmas with Scotty McCreery, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Holiday Albums Chart. The Garner, NC-native first came to national prominence when he won “American Idol” in 2011. He will release his first book, Go Big or Go Home: The Journey Toward the Dream, on May 3, 2016. 

For more information and tour dates, visit www.scottymccreery.com. Follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/scottymccreery and on Twitter @ScottyMcCreery. 
 
PRESS CONTACTS:

Media Contact for Duke Voice Care Center:

Leda Scearce
(919) 862-5739
leda.scearce@duke.edu

Media Contact for Cary Arts Center:

Sarah Preston
(919) 469-4069
sarah.preston@townofcary.org

Media Contacts for Scotty McCreery:

Ebie McFarland / Scott Stem 
Essential Broadcast Media
(615) 327-3259 
ebie@ebmediapr.com / scott@ebmediapr.com

Media materials for Scotty McCreery may be downloaded at http://ebmediapr.com/clients/scottymccreery