Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
He left his mark on New York City: RIP Tony Bennett, arts education champion
By
Jessica Gould
and
Steve Smith
Published Jul 21, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
By
Jessica Gould
and
Steve Smith
Published Jul 21, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Tony Bennett may have left his heart in San Francisco, but for hundreds of New York City schoolchildren and their families, the Queens-born singer left his mark as a benefactor who put his time, celebrity and resources into bolstering arts education.
Bennett died on Friday morning in New York City, and representatives from the education community are singing his praises.
Bennett and his wife, Susan Benedetto, a former public school teacher, partnered with the education department and founded the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts high school in Astoria, Queens in 2001. The couple raised tens of millions of dollars for the school. Bennett often attended graduation ceremonies and in 2014, he surprised students by offering a master class with Lady Gaga.
Bennett recounted to ABC7 in 2009 that he named the school for Sinatra because that iconic artist once told Life magazine that Bennett was his favorite singer.
“I’ve never gotten over that,” Bennett said.
The school is located close to Kaufman Astoria Studios in Astoria, where Bennett grew up, and serves more than 800 students.
“We are saddened to hear of the passing of our beloved founder, the great Tony Bennett,” Principal Gideon Frankel wrote in a letter to the school community. “He loved the arts but loved people more and that was shown through his tenacity and commitment to creating and building a public arts high school for New York City students. His passion for the arts was unbridled and he wanted to be certain his legacy was for young people to have an opportunity to learn and share their art with the world.”
The Sinatra school is highly regarded by the education community.
“I love the school,” said Joanna Cohen, a public school principal whose daughter is a student at Sinatra. “It’s a place where I feel like kids can be who they are and be accepted for who they are. The teachers know the kids very deeply.”
Cohen says the arts programming at Sinatra is “top notch.”
Bennett and Benedetto also launched a nonprofit called Exploring the Arts to support the Sinatra school and dozens of others throughout the five borough and in Los Angeles. Speaking on the Strike a Chord segment on BronxNet in 2021, Benedetto — who had been a social studies teacher at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art – said that Bennett first tried to start a school with his friend and colleague Rosemary Clooney more than 50 years ago.
The organization now partners with public middle and high schools in the two cities to develop arts programs, pair students with mentors, and set them up with internships.
NYC Public Schools honored Bennett in a message posted Friday morning on Twitter:
“Tony Bennett's love for New York City was only topped by his love for Astoria. It's where he helped open the new home of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts—impacting so many young scholars. Thank you for everything, Tony. You will be dearly missed.”
Tagged
new york city
queens
arts
education
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Steve Smith
Steve Smith is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 16, 2026
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .