While many symphonies perform under the stars, only one can claim to perform under the sea. The Submerged Symphony is to display its talents Saturday, July 10, during the 20th anniversary of the Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival.

The unique event showcases the colorful diversity of marine life that characterizes North America�s only living coral barrier reef. As many as 600 divers and snorkelers gather each year for the sub-sea songfest at Looe Key Reef, an area of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary located approximately six miles south of Big Pine Key.

Staged by Florida Keys radio station WCNK 98.7 Conch FM, the quirky 20th anniversary concert is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Marine melodies are to range from the Beatles� �Yellow Submarine� and Jimmy Buffett�s �Fins� to humpback whale songs and other water-themed selections.

While most of the music is broadcast underwater via Lubell Laboratory speakers suspended beneath boats, the Submerged Symphony plans to make waves of its own under the direction of Sebrina Maria Alfonso, the award-winning conductor of the nationally acclaimed Key West Symphony.

The undersea instruments, however, have something undeniably �fishy� about them. Created by Florida Keys artist August Powers, they include a trombonefish, a French (angelfish) horn, a staghorn and a manta-lin.

�To celebrate the festival�s 20th anniversary, we decided to have a masked ball underwater � with dive masks, that is,� said Nancy Herlehy, festival co-coordinator and mermaid-in-chief. �We encourage participants to wear their tuxes and ball gowns with a tasteful pair of dress fins, so they can dance to the music of our Submerged Symphony in style.�

As well as being a one-of-a-kind event for divers and snorkelers, the Underwater Music Festival carries a serious message of coral reef preservation. The musical broadcast incorporates diver awareness announcements, written and recorded by Sanctuary officials, offering tips on how people can enjoy the ocean while minimizing the impact on the coral reef ecosystem and overall marine environment.

The musicians in the Submerged Symphony aren�t the only unusual reef denizens that participants might spot during the Underwater Music Festival. Past events have included appearances by a troupe of snorkeling Elvis look-alikes playing underwater guitar, a long-haired mermaid with a harp, a trio of divas of the deep, and marchers in a submerged patriotic parade.

Divers and snorkelers interested in participating in the Underwater Music Festival can charter space aboard boats run by Lower Keys dive operators. Visitors and residents with their own boats can launch from public ramps throughout the area.

For media information about the Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival, call festival director Bill Becker at 305-872-9100. For information about dive charters and accommodations in the Lower Florida Keys, contact the Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-872-3722 or 305-872-2411, or the chamber�s Web site at www.lowerkeyschamber.com or explore this Web site. Commemorative 20th anniversary Underwater Music Festival T-shirts can be ordered through the chamber.

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Media Contact: Josie Gulliksen +1 305-461-3300 josie@newmanpr.com