Arts school expands to serve New York students
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In 2001, Tony Bennett and Susan Benedetto founded the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in New York City to offer students arts training alongside traditional academics.
The school began with 250 students in temporary classrooms. Bennett and Benedetto collaborated with the New York City Department of Education and local leaders to establish the school, motivated by a desire to integrate arts education into public schooling.
In 2009, the school moved to a permanent building at the Kaufman Astoria Studios complex in Queens, providing students with dedicated spaces for various art forms. The facilities include dance studios, theatres, a film lab, and the 800-seat Tony Bennett Concert Hall. Students audition for admission and can specialise in dance, drama, film, fine art, vocal music, or instrumental music.
Benedetto reflected on Bennett’s pride in the school and its students after his death, noting that he believed the school fostered a commitment to learning and craft. The school and its programs continue to receive support from Exploring the Arts, an organisation Bennett and Benedetto also established to expand arts education in public schools, now reaching students in New York City and Los Angeles.
