Robert DeNiro, Richard Gere and Whoopi Goldberg were among the special guests that helped Tony Bennett celebrate his 85th Birthday at the Exploring the Arts (ETA) annual benefit gala on Sunday, September 18.The event was hosted by Alec Baldwin and featured a performance by Elton John, was opened with Tony's sold-out debut at the Metropolitan Opera House, raised $2.5M for ETA, the nonprofit organization established in 1999 by Tony his wife, Susan, to fund arts education in NYC public high schools.
Bennett's 90-minute concert received several standing ovations and included duet performances with Aretha Franklin, Alejandro Sanz and Elton John. Students from NYC schools were invited to join in the SRO seating at the concert, which was underwritten by HBO.
Bennett's Duets II CD is released this week on September 20 on RPM Records/Columbia Records. The CD, a successor to the singer's hugely successful Duets CD, features a roster of celebrated artists--including Lady Gaga, Michael Buble, John Mayer, Aretha Franklin, Alejandro Sanz, Amy Winehouse and others--who joined Tony live in the studio to record his catalog of hits. Tony Bennett makes appearances on The Today Show, The View, and Tonight Show with Jay Leno this week.
