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The Horatio Alger Association Announces Concert Event with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra and International Tenor Mario Frangoulis
Association Gives Tribute to Horatio Alger Ak-Sar-Ben Scholarship Recipients during Concert

WASHINGTON, DC – October 13, 2008 – The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans announced today its upcoming concert event in Omaha, Nebraska, to promote and celebrate Horatio Alger scholarship winners. The Charles Durham family, Suzanne and Walter Scott, Jr., and Peggy and David L. Sokol will sponsor the event to benefit the Association's scholarship programs for at-risk youth. The evening of music at the Holland Performing Arts Center is made possible through the Horatio Alger Ak-Sar-Ben Scholarship Program.

“We are delighted to hold another special concert in honor of our Horatio Alger scholars and alumni,” said Sokol, President and CEO of the Horatio Alger Association and Omaha resident. “These students have exceeded our expectations with their goals and determination, and we are thrilled to celebrate their early achievements and success in life. To have the concert in Omaha at the Holland Performing Arts Center is very exciting.”

The Sokols and Scotts will host a private dinner reception prior to the concert that will feature Nebraska scholars. Walter Scott, Jr., is Horatio Alger Chairman Emeritus.

Renowned, international tenor Mario Frangoulis will headline the concert along with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Ernest Richardson. The guest soprano will be Sarah Lawrence.

The event will feature several current and previous Horatio Alger scholarship winners from Nebraska including Horatio Alger National Scholars; Ak-Sar-Ben state scholars and scholarship alumni. The scholars in attendance are from several areas around the state, from Atkinson to York, with seven from Omaha. A few of the winners will share their “Horatio Alger story” with the audience and how the Association’s programs have allowed them the chance to achieve the American Dream through higher education.

The Horatio Alger Ak-Sar-Ben Scholarship Program was the first Horatio Alger state scholarship program created in 2000. With support from its members and friends, the Horatio Alger Association has awarded more than $63 million in need-based college scholarships to deserving young people. To learn more about the Horatio Alger Scholarship Programs, visit https://www.horatioalger.org/scholarships/index.cfm.

The Horatio Alger Association has conducted similar special concert events with Frangoulis in Chicago in October 2006 and in Boston in November 2007. The tenor, who started his career at age 17, began recording for Sony Classical in Greece in 1998, and his recordings consistently topped the charts in Greece. The release of Sometimes I Dream tapped an international audience, with material that draws freely on opera, rock, film and pop music.

The concert is scheduled to begin at 8p.m. Nov. 7 at the Holland Performing Arts Center. Press interviews with members of the Horatio Alger Association, Horatio Alger Scholars or Frangoulis prior to the concert can be scheduled through the contact listed above.

In addition to Friday’s performance, Frangoulis will be the featured performer on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. Tickets for all three performances can be purchased online at www.omahasymphony.org.

About The Horatio Alger Association

Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans continues to fulfill its mission of honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals in our society who have succeeded in spite of adversity and of encouraging young people to pursue their dreams through higher education. The Horatio Alger Association offers three annual scholarship programs: the National Scholarship Program and state scholarship programs, available to high school seniors in all 50 states, and the Horatio Alger Military Veterans Scholarship Program for U.S. veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. The Association awards more than $10 million annually in college scholarships and has given over $63 million to deserving students since 1984. The Association is a 2008 Combined Federal Campaign participant, ID# 77062. For more information about the scholarships, please visit www.horatioalger.org.

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