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Presenting West Coast’s Primary Greek Event: Hellenic Charity Ball 2013 by the Elios Foundation

By on October 10, 2013

The Elios Charitable Foundation announced the program and honorees for the highly anticipated 9th Hellenic Charity Ball, to be held on Saturday, November 2, 2013 at Westin St. Francis on Union Square (335 Powell Street, San Francisco). One of San Francisco’s most star-studded events, the biennial gala pays tribute to distinguished arts and entertainment luminaries in the Greek and Greek-American community and is the principal source of funding for the Elios Charitable Foundation. This year’s honorees include San Francisco Symphony trumpet player Chris Bogios and his son, Counting Crows drummer Jim Bogios; internationally acclaimed tenor Mario Frangoulis; and American film producer Stratton Leopold. 2009 Hellenic Charity Ball Honoree Marilu Henner will be the evening’s emcee.

Founded to celebrate and preserve the spirit, values and ideals of Hellenic culture and heritage, the Elios Charitable Foundation launched the Hellenic Charity Ball in 1997 as a way to continually note the ongoing arts and entertainment contributions of Greek-Americans on American culture. The Hellenic Charity Ball is an elegant, black-tie affair that attracts the West Coast’s most influential taste-makers and industry leaders. The Ball will include a formal seated dinner in the Grand Ballroom at St. Francis on Union Square, followed by the award show, which will include presentations, performances and specially produced videos celebrating the honorees’ Greek heritage and their notable careers. Past honorees and participants have included Nick Cassavetes, Louie Gundanas, Constantine Maroulis, Michael Chiklis, Maria Menounos, Nia Vardalos, Olympia Dukakis, Nicholas Gage, Tony Orlando, Melina Kanakaredes, and many others.

“Through the Hellenic Charity Ball, the Elios Charitable Foundation brings together influential Greek Americans from all fields and walks of life, to pay tribute to outstanding achievements and to celebrate centuries of Hellenic influence on American Culture,” says the organization’s President and Chair of the Board Anthony T. Saris. “Hellenic Americans and Philhellenes come together to take part in an unforgettable and glamorous night, reminiscent of a Greek family reunion, while supporting a great cause.”

Committed to preserving and celebrating Greek heritage, Elios Charitable Foundation directs proceeds from the gala to support like-minded organizations and projects which include Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Modern Greek Studies Program at San Francisco State University, the Center for Tebtunis Papyri at UC—Berkeley, Hellenic Heritage Institute, Hellenic Research Fellowship Program at Sacramento State University, Metropolis of San Francisco Folk Dance Cultural Programs, Modern Greek Studies Foundation for the San Francisco Greek Film Festival, Nemea Center at UC-Berkeley, PBS for the documentary The Greek Americans II: Passing the Torch, and United Hellenic American Society.

The Honorees

Chris Bogios

Chris Bogios

Bay Area native, Chris Bogios played trumpet for the San Francisco Symphony for over four decades and helped to lead the charge for fundamental changes in the Bay Area classical music scene. Now retired, Bogios toured internationally under the direction on Josef Krips, Seiji Ozawa, Edo de Waart, Herbert Blomstedt and Michael Tilson Thomas.

Jim Bogios

Jim Bogios

Chris’s son, Jim Bogios, influenced by his father’s musical chops, has been playing the drums since he was a child. With beginnings in the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, Jim has performed and recorded with Sheryl Crow, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Prince and Ben Folds. Jim currently plays drums with Counting Crows, as he has for over 10 years.

Mario Frangoulis

Mario Frangoulis

Mario Frangoulis is a tenor of the 21st Century, with the ability to sing everything from a hard-rock anthem to an operatic aria. Mario attended London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama to study acting and singing. While at Guildhall, he was discovered by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, who immediately hired Frangoulis upon his graduation to play the character of Marius in Les Miserables in London’s West End. Soon thereafter, he was invited by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber to play the role of Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera to great critical acclaim. Despite intensive training and being awarded the Maria Callas Prize, Frangoulis is anything but a conventional operatic singer. He has assumed the role of Tony in West Side Story at Milan’s La Scala, performed in epic presentations of Greek Tragedies, including in the ancient amphitheater at Epidaurus and appeared in the film De Lovely, performing Cole Porter’s So In Lovewith the world-famous singer Lara Fabian. Frangoulis is best known for his powerful and charismatic live performances. He sings in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Greek, and loves to blend multiple musical styles (opera, pop, rock, folk, soul/R&B, world).

Stratton Leopold

Stratton Leopold

American film producer and Executive Vice President of Production at Paramount Pictures, Stratton Leopold has a long and successful production career. His projects have included The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Mission: Impossible III, and the recent adaptation of The Wolfman, starring Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins.

Marilu Henner

Marilu Henner

Best known for her acting career in film and television, Marilu Henner’s work includes her break-through role as receptionist-turned-cabbie Elaine Nardo on Taxi, films such as The Man Who Loved Woman, L.A. Story, and Perfect, and the hit TV sitcom, Evening Shade. She recently served as host of the PBS series America’s Ballroom Challenge and she competed in the first Celebrity Apprentice. Marilu is also considered a health and wellness expert, publishing books on the subject and offering online classes.

Tickets for the Hellenic Charity Ball start at $350, with table sponsorships starting at $3,500. For more information and to reserve tickets their email is jcarlin@elios.org.

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