USC Alum Honor Wildhorn with 2010 Tommy Award; Bryce Ryness Hosts Ceremony, 6/28

Bestselling financial author David Bach (The Automatic Millionaire), The Blackstone Group Senior Managing Director Timothy Coleman, urban designer and architect Jonie Fu, painter/art critic Peter Plagens and Broadway composer Frank Wildhorn (The Scarlet Pimpernel, Jekyll & Hyde, The Civil War) will be honored at the Second Annual Tommy Awards - named for Tommy Trojan, the University of Southern California's collegiate symbol - on June 28, 2010 at the NYU Skirball Center.

Produced by the USC Alumni Club of New York with the support of the USC Alumni Association and other university partners, the Tommy Awards honors extraordinary contributions made by USC alumni to New York's business, cultural, sports and philanthropic communities. Last year's inaugural honorees included Broadway producer Kevin McCollum (Avenue Q, Rent), New York Giants wide receiver Steve Smith and film director Andy Tennant (Hitch, Sweet Home Alabama).

Hosted by Drama Desk nominee Bryce Ryness (Broadway's Hair), the program will feature music by Tony nominee Wildhorn, Tony winner Jason Robert Brown (Parade), Tony nominee Laurence O'Keefe (Legally Blonde: The Musical) and others. The director/creative producer is Michael Schwartz. The program is produced by Kate Russo and Amir Akhavan.

Several USC alumni performers including Lara Janine, Catherine Ricafort, Elizabeth Brackenbury, Danielle Faitelson, Briga Heelan, Laurie Heelan and recording artists Karmina will be featured. Notable USC faculty and staff attending include Marshall School of Business Dean Jim Ellis, Thornton School of Music Dean Robert Cutietta, School of Theatre Dean Madeline Puzo, and incoming Roski School of Fine Arts Dean Rochelle Steiner.

All proceeds from the evening benefit the USC Alumni Club of New York's scholarship fund, enabling the club to award more than $30,000 in annual scholarships to current and incoming students. A VIP reception will be held in the Rosenthal Pavilion at NYU's Kimmel Center following the performance. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit http://alumni.usc.edu/tommyawards.

ABOUT THE USC ALUMNI CLUB OF NEW YORK
The USC Alumni Club of New York keeps members of the Trojan Family connected to USC. The club offers entertaining and enriching programming, including career networking forums, faculty receptions, cultural outings, Trojan Parent events, recreational sports, game-watching parties and social events. As a nonprofit organization, the club's underlying mission is to provide scholarships to students from the tri-state area. The USC Alumni Club of New York is an affiliate of the USC Alumni Association.

ABOUT THE USC ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Founded in 1923, the University of Southern California Alumni Association honors through its many events and programs the university's rich history and the intellectual, cultural and economic contributions of the Trojan Family. A full-time staff headed by the alumni association CEO helps 300,000+ USC alumni worldwide build and maintain lifelong connections to their alma mater and one another. For more information, call (213) 740-2300 or visit http://alumni.usc.edu.

ABOUT THE Jack H. Skirball CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT NYU
The NYU Skirball Center is the premier venue for the presentation of cultural and performing arts events for NYU and lower Manhattan. The programs of the Skirball Center reflect NYU's mission as an international center of scholarship, defined by excellence and innovation and shaped by an intellectually rich and diverse environment. Since 2003, the 860-seat Center has provided a unique venue for enhancing a sense of community while continuing the Greenwich Village traditions of creativity and artistic discovery with a broad range of compelling performing events at affordable ticket prices. Led by executive producer Jay Oliva (president emeritus, NYU) and director Michael Harrington, the NYU Skirball Center is dedicated to building young adult audiences for live performance. www.skirballcenter.nyu.edu.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.