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SPRING 2008 NEWSLETTER


Recent Updates:

June 26, 2008
Congratulations to the Class of 2008!
The ETA-supported Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, co-founded by Susan and Tony, successfully graduated 99% of its senior class today at a beautiful ceremony. Queens Borough President, Helen Marshall, and City Council Member, Eric Gioia, both gave inspiring speeches, as did our Keynote Speaker, Nancy Giles, of the CBS News Sunday Morning show. 95% of the graduates are going on to college, 25% of whom are off to arts conservatories. Among the schools they will be attending are Columbia University, The Jiulliard School, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Parsons, Pratt, SVA and Cooper Union. We are also proud to report that collectively the graduates received over $6.5 million in scholarships!

May 22, 2008
ETA Announces its 2nd Annual Benefit
Exploring the Arts will host its 2nd annual benefit gala on Tuesday September 23rd, 2008 at Cipriani's Wall Street in NYC. To be hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, the event will feature live performances from Tony Bennett, Jerry Seinfeld, John Mayer and other special guests, and it will honor Reed Hastings, Steve Wynn, and Sumner Redstone. For more information or to join us on this exciting night, please contact Inez Weinstein Special Events, Inc. at (212) 254-6677. Click here to view pictures from last year's innaugural gala.


April 10, 2008
ETA's Frank Sinatra School of the Arts featured on Fox's Good Day New York!
On Thursday April 10th, Good Day New York did a feature episode on Susan and Tony Bennett's Frank Sinatra School of the Arts and ETA. To view a segment from that show, click here.


January 16, 2008
ETA Forms New Partnerships
In February of 2008, ETA's Tony Bennett Apprenticeship Program will expand to serve a second NYC public high school. Students are now being selected from both Frank Sinatra School of the Arts as well as Talent Unlimited High School and will be placed as interns with the following artists and arts organizations: The NY Philharmonic, the Sweet Plantain string quartet, The Collegiate Chorale, Martha Graham Center for Contemporary Dance, American Ballet Theatre, Children's Museum of the Arts, The Noguchi Museum and Epic Theatre Ensemble.


January 1, 2008
ETA Announces New Film & Media Arts Program
ETA is excited to announce that it is currently developing a new Film & Media Arts program of study to commence as a 6th arts major for students at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in the 2008-09 school year, adding to these already existing majors: Dance, Drama, Fine Art, Vocal Music, Instrumental Music. The new Film & Media Arts will be a wonderful program for when the Sinatra School moves into its new home in Astoria Queens, across from the Kaufman Astoria film & t.v. Studios and the Museum of the Moving Image.


September 11, 2007
ETA featured on Live With Regis & Kelly
On Monday September 10th, Regis and Kelly discussed ETA's benefit on their morning show, Live with Regis and Kelly. To view that clip, click here.


September 9, 2007
First major benefit a huge success!
On September 9th, 2007, ETA held its first major benefit. Presented by AARP, the evening began with a special concert at Radio City Music Hall in which Tony Bennett performed alongside his wonderful band and special guest artists James Taylor, k.d. lang, Chris Botti, and John Legend. The concert was followed by a gala dinner and auction in Rockefeller Center's Summer Garden. Regis Philbin emceed the show, Sotheby's Jamie Niven served as auctioneer, and President Clinton gave a fabulous speech in support of reviving arts curricula in our nation's public schools. Mariana & George Kaufman, Iris Cantor, and John Desiderio Co-Chaired the event, which raised a total $1.5 million. Many other exciting guests attended to show their support of our work, among them Alec Baldwin, Barbara Walters, and NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn.


June 26, 2007
Actor/Director Kevin Spacey was Keynote Speaker at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts Graduation
The school's founder, singer Tony Bennett, joined Spacey at commencement. Bennett commented, "I greatly admire Kevin, who is a gifted actor and director and has a passionate commitment to the arts. We are honored to have him address our graduating class this year." FSSA's graduation class is comprised of 124 seniors with 99% of them attending four or two-year colleges, which is one of the highest rates in the city school system. Overall, this year's class has earned more than $3 million in scholarships. Previous keynote speakers at FSSA commencement have included Harry Belafonte, Governor Mario Cuomo, Jerry Seinfeld and Wynton Marsalis.


September 1, 2006
ETA Expands its Board of Directors
Exploring the Arts has recently expanded its Board. Our new members bring a wealth of experience to the organization, as artists and arts patrons, philanthropists, and business leaders. To learn more about our new Board members (George Kaufman, Iris Cantor, and Hoong Yee Lee Krakauer), please visit the About ETA page of this website.

May 30, 2006
Queens Borough President to fund ETA's Annie Leibovitz murals
Queens Borough President, Helen Marshall, is donating $500,000 to ETA for the creation of three large murals (approximately 50 feet by 8 feet) for the new Frank Sinatra School of the Arts building. Renowned artist, Annie Leibovitz, has generously agreed to shoot the murals' original photography. For more on the new school building, please read about our Capital Campaign.


May 1, 2006
ETA's high school receives award
Founded by ETA, Frank Sinatra School of the Arts will be honored with the EAA Satchmo Award for "leadership in Music and Entertainment Education." The award ceremony takes place at Terrace on the Park on May 5, 2006.


March 30, 2006
ETA receives $100,000 federal grant
Exploring the Arts has been singled out to receive $100,000 in federal money through a Congressional earmark that will be used to fund our programs at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts during the 2006 school year. This money will support summer and after-school programs that connect public high school students with creative professionals and artists.