Father-daughter team launches design, music studios in Port Jeff Station

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| At 23, she’s opening a music studio in Port Jefferson Station — right below dad’s design firm

A vacant building in Port Jefferson Station has new life — and it’s all in the family.

Frank Scarpa and his daughter Isabella, of Setauket, have transformed a three-level space at 590 Patchogue Road into two businesses: a new home for Frank’s long-running Frasca Design Group, and Isabella’s brand-new Intermezzo Music Studio.

A family venture

Frank, a graphic and web designer, founded Frasca Design more than 30 years ago in Mineola. After relocating to Setauket, the daily commute grew taxing, so he began looking for a space closer to home.

At the same time, Isabella, 23, had just graduated from Stony Brook University. With a lifelong passion for music, singing and theater, she decided to take the leap into business ownership.

“I’ve been doing theater and music since I was eight years old,” she said. “When I was around 13, I would have neighborhood kids come over and do lessons with them. I didn’t even care about the money — I just loved seeing the kids light up when they learned something new.”

That love of teaching inspired her to launch Intermezzo, which opens Sept. 2.

Music, acting and more

The new studio will offer lessons in piano, voice and nearly every band instrument. Isabella will lead piano and voice instruction but has hired nearly a dozen other teachers for guitar, cello, drums, and more.

“If I don’t have an instrument for them yet, I’ll get their requests and make it happen,” she said. “It’s very student-centered — whatever the student wants to learn, that’s what we’re going to do.”

Intermezzo also features a downstairs lounge and acting studio for theater classes, plus a patio for breaks. Isabella, a familiar face on the local stage, has starred in productions at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson and wanted her studio to reflect that side of her artistry, too.

Dad’s new HQ

The top floor houses Frank’s reimagined design studio, complete with an open workspace, conference room and kitchenette.

“I’m so proud of Isabella for creating a place where kids and adults can come together to learn and grow,” Frank said. “And if she needs me, I’m right upstairs.”