New Haven Academy of Performing Arts (NHAOPA), located at 597 Main Street in East Haven, celebrated the expansion of the academy with an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony on March 24.

The academy, which was founded in 2014, still occupies the second floor of the building, and now also occupies the first floor.

NHAOPA master vocal coach and Artistic Director Billy DiCrosta said that the academy wasn’t planning to have the first floor space right now, but after the hairdresser that previously occupied the space moved out around November 2017, he felt like “it was God saying ‘you need to jump on this moment right now.’”

“Hopefully, within the next couple years, we’ll be able to maybe buy the whole building and build something even bigger and better,” DiCrosta said, “We just want to keep growing.”

In addition to the ribbon cutting for the new space, an open house was also held that featured tours of the academy led by NHAOPA students, free lessons for guests, and performances that showcased the different areas of the academy, such as music and theater.

“It’s a full day of telling people what we’re about,” said Co-Artistic Director Neil Fuentes.

For more information about the academy, visit www.nhaopa.com.