Contacts: Holly Rollins,
10-x Group,
864.420.1127
hrollins@10-xgroup.com

Stephane Leblois
Horatio Alger Association
703.684.9444
sleblois@horatioalger.org

Boston Pops Orchestra Presents Celebrated Tenor Mario Frangoulis In Pops Debut June 21 Sponsored by the Horatio Alger Association
Concert will be held in Boston’s Symphony Hall

(June 15, 2012, Washington, D.C.) -- The Boston Pops Orchestra will give a special performance on Thursday, June 21, at 7:30 p.m. at Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Avenue.  The event, which is being sponsored by The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, will feature conductor Keith Lockhart and internationally-renowned tenor Mario Frangoulis, making his Boston Pops debut.

Frangoulis is an ambassador for the association, educating audiences about the organization and its mission to help young people who have faced major adversity succeed and go on to college. He will dedicate a special song to these Horatio Alger Scholars, written for the organization’s 65th anniversary this year.

R. James Nicholson, association board member, will host the program. Nicholson is the former Secretary of Veterans Affairs and also served as ambassador to the Holy See.  Two recipients of the Horatio Alger scholarship, Daniel Lind and Lauren Pignataro, will present their inspirational stories at the event. Many of the Massachusetts Horatio Alger Scholars also will be in attendance.

Additional special guest performers include Greek-French pop singer George Perris who serves as an emissary for the association in Canada; the internationally acclaimed New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra; celebrated Greek singer Alkistis Protopsalti and world-renowned Canadian composer Stephan Moccio. Featuring tunes from Mr. Frangoulis’s third album, Beautiful Things, this “Beautiful Things Live” performance will be recorded live for telecast at a later date on PBS stations across the nation.  Frangoulis will continue to act as the association’s International Ambassador as he teams with the Boston Pops and PBS on a fall concert tour.

Tickets for the “Beautiful Things Live” event range from $35 to $150 and are available for purchase at 888-266-1200, www.bso.org  or the Symphony Hall box office.

Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans celebrates those individuals in our society whose determination and hard work enabled them to overcome life’s obstacles to achieve success. As a 501 (c) (3) educational non-profit, the Association provides scholarships and mentorship to high school seniors who have demonstrated courage in the face of adversity and an unwavering desire to pursue a higher education. The Horatio Alger Association has awarded more than $90 million in college scholarships since the inception of its scholarship programs in 1984. For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org.

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