Tribute to Bennett at the school he loved Students celebrate music legend

by Michael Gannon

Senior News Editor

Students from the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria are performing a tribute concert on Friday, Dec. 1, to the late Tony Bennett and his wife, Susan Benedetto, who founded the school back in 2001.

Tuesday evening, school Principal Gideon Frankel was in an ideal position, literally and figuratively, to discuss the upcoming performance.

“I was just in the auditorium listening to the rehearsal,” Frankel said in a telephone interview. “We’re really excited about this. We’ll have music in instrumental and vocal pieces. We have a jazz orchestra. Dance students will be doing pieces that have been specially choreographed.”

That, Frankel said, was just the in-house talent of students from throughout the city.

“We’ll also have a dance number specially choreographed by Jessica Lang of the American Ballet Theatre,” he said. “This is a piece they did years ago with his music, and that he collaborated on.”

“It involves every studio in the school,” said Toby Boshak, executive director of Exploring the Arts, a group that works with nearly 60 schools in New York and California to advance eduction in the arts

”It’s a celebration of the impact Tony had on the school, the students, the administration and the entire community that surrounds the Sinatra School,” she added.

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Tickets, both said, sold out almost immediately after going on sale.

— Bennett’s real last name — created the school in order to provide talented students in the arts with an opportunity that he never had growing up in Astoria.

He was 96 when he died last July, and both preformed and recorded with legends from Sinatra and the big bands to Lady Gaga in a career that spanned 70 years.

He was a decorated soldier in Europe in World War II and was an accomplished painter.

And yes, the school choir will be performing Bennett’s signature “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

Frankel and Boshak did say there would be a few solo parts in the song, but that they aren’t concerned that a student might get the jitters.

“There will be very little chance of that if it is sung by a student from that school,” Boshak said.

Frankel and Boshak said the Benedettos

“We’re very pleased that Susan Benedetto donated many of his paintings for us to display around the school,” Frankel said.

Boshak and Frankel said Bennett seemed to enjoy visiting the school, students and teachers as much as they loved having him.

“It would be so evident in his face, in his body language,” Boshak said. “He really loved being there and loved seeing what the students would create.” Q

NYBC: holiday season help

The New York Blood Center is seeking donors of all blood types to address the ongoing blood shortage.

Each donor can help surgery and cancer patients, accident victims and new mothers and babies. Information on how to donate blood or schedule a drive is at nybc. org. Upcoming drives include:

• United Sherpa Association, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 41-01 75 St. in Elmhurst;

• Sunnyside Jewish Center, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3, in the bloodmobile at 40-30 47 Ave. in Sunnyside;

• Queens Jewish Center, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3, at 66-05 108 St. in Forest Hills;

• Christ the King High School, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 6, at 68-02 Metropolitan Ave. in Middle Village;

• NYC Dept. of Design & Construction, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., on Wednesday, Dec. 6, at 30-30 Thomson Ave. in Long Island City; and

• The Shops at Atlas Park, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 10 and Sunday, Dec. 17; and 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 23, at 8000 Cooper Ave. in Glendale. Q