#CHStaff Picks | “My first concert at Carnegie Hall was in November 1983, the phenomenal Jessye Norman in recital. I had moved to New York City after graduate school. As I sat at the back of the balcony in Stern auditorium that evening, Ms. Norman’s amazing voice created a universe for me, a vision of all my life in New York City could be. She was, like me, from Georgia. She had recently debuted with glowing reviews at the Metropolitan Opera in Berlioz's Les Troyens. Her absolute magnificence as an artist and a woman somehow assured me that I could have a wonderful life in the city, filled with concerts, plays, ballet, opera. All I needed to do was earn enough to buy lots of tickets. After 25 years of working for JPMorgan Chase and ticket buying, I met Carnegie Hall’s Chief Development Officer in 2008, and told her about my memorable evening with Ms. Norman singing Wagner, Duparc, and Satie while wearing a stunning gown, and about my plans to start a new career as a fundraiser in the a...