Tony Bennett and Susan Benedetto Celebrate Ribbon-Cutting at New Permanent Site of...

Tony Bennett and Susan Benedetto Celebrate Ribbon-Cutting at New Permanent
Site of Frank Sinatra School of the Arts
MORNING CEREMONY FEATURED SPEECHES BY FOUNDERS TONY BENNETT AND SUSAN
BENEDETTO, NANCY SINATRA, QUINCY JONES, CHANCELLOR OF SCHOOLS JOEL KLEIN, SCA
PRESIDENT SHARON GREENBERGER, QUEENS BOROUGH PRESIDENT HELEN MARSHALL AND FSSA
PRINCIPAL DONNA FINN

NEW YORK, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Tony Bennett and Susan Benedetto welcomed
over 200 guests this morning at the ribbon cutting ceremony at the new
permanent site of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts (FSSA), the public arts
high school founded by Tony Bennett in partnership with the NYC Department of
Education and located in Tony's hometown of Astoria, Queens. The morning
celebration featured speeches by FSSA founders Tony Bennett and Susan
Benedetto, Nancy Sinatra, Chancellor of Schools Joel Klein, School
Construction Authority President Sharon Greenberger, Queens Borough President
Helen Marshall and FSSA Principal Donna Finn. Immediately following the
remarks guests were treated to the unveiling of the temporary street renaming
of 35th street and 35th avenue to "Tony Bennett Plaza" to commemorate the
occasion. Parents and students crowded the street to view the proceedings at
the new FSSA building, which opened its doors to students on September 9th.

USA Today recently referred to Tony Bennett as an, "Eloquent advocate for
public schools in general and arts education specifically," and the New York
Times recently noted of FSSA, "The sleek new five-story building, designed by
the prominent Polshek Partnership architecture firm, has state-of-the-art
classrooms, a media center with film editing equipment, two dance studios and
music studios with a recording booth." The structure also houses a
state-of-the-art 800 seat theatre, Tony Bennett Concert Hall, and a roof
garden with a permanent stage, both of which will be available for public and
school related events.

Susan and Tony first conceptualized FSSA 10 years ago as a groundbreaking,
unique partnership between the public and private sectors devoted to making
superior academic and arts education accessible to all students. The public
school, which was established at a temporary location in 2001, offers a
rigorous academic curriculum combined with an extensive pre-conservatory arts
studio program. Since its inception FSSA has consistently boasted one of the
highest graduation rates in the city, with over 95% of its graduates
continuing on to college and arts conservatories like The Julliard School and
Columbia University.

Later this evening Tony Bennett and Susan Benedetto will host the third annual
Exploring The Arts (ETA) benefit gala to raise funds to support arts education
in public schools. The event will be held at Cipriani Wall Street and will
feature Nathan Lane as emcee with performances by Tony Bennett and k.d. lang.
Guests expected to attend include Bruce and Emma Willis, Quincy Jones, Regis
and Joy Philbin, Nancy Sinatra, Rachael Ray and John Cusimano, Governor Mario
and Matilda Cuomo and Billy Jean King. The 2009 Exploring the Arts Benefit
Gala will honor philanthropist John Kluge, who celebrates his 95th birthday
this evening and has been a long-time supporter of ETA's mission.

About Exploring the Arts:

Tony Bennett and Susan Benedetto founded Exploring the Arts (ETA), a
non-profit organization to strengthen the role of arts education in public
schools. They have raised millions of dollars to date and have fostered a
unique partnership between the public and private sectors. For more
information on ETA and FSSA please visit www.exploringthearts.org.

www.exploringthearts.org
www.tonybennett.net
www.benedettoarts.com

SOURCE Exploring the Arts

Patrick Confrey, confrey@sunshinessachs.com, or Jay Strell,
strell@sunshinesachs.com, or Ken Sunshine, sunshine@sunshinesachs.com, all of
Sunshine Sachs & Associates, +1-212-691-2800; or Sylvia Weiner,
+1-908-301-1779, sweiner@rpm-productions.com