If you’ve ever been to Caramoor – whether you’ve attended a concert, strolled along our grounds, toured the Rosen House, or visited In the Garden of Sonic Delights – then you’ve had the pleasure of interacting with our very dedicated and outstanding volunteers. They are so much more than just docents, ushers, audience greeters and tour guides, so we’d like to introduce you to our volunteers through our Volunteer Spotlight!
Meet Nancy Harrison
Volunteer Position(s): Audience Greeter, Sonic Delights Guide, Usher, Envelope Stuffer
Years as a Caramoor Volunteer: 12
What’s your favorite event here and why?
One of my favorite concerts is Verdi’s Les Vepres Siciliennes, made extra special since Sarah Nelson Craft, a friend of my son’s, performed in it and I went backstage to greet her. Also I find that the lectures by Dr. Richard Kogan are exceptional since he is able both to provide psychiatric insights into a composer’s life and then to illustrate these insights as well as the composer’s creative genius by his virtuosic playing of excerpts at the piano.
What’s one unique fact about you?
One thing that stands out is how many people say to me “You are never home.” It took me a while, but I’ve come to realize that they do have a point; given all my varied interests, I am out a lot.
If you could only listen to one artist for the rest of your life, who would it be?
The first artist that came to mind upon reading this question is Renée Fleming, since I never tire of listening to her sing “Depuis le jour” from James Levine’s 25th Anniversary Metropolitan Opera Gala recording. Also I’ve heard her in person and been very impressed.
What’s one story about your time at Caramoor that sticks out to you?
In general Caramoor is a very special place given the beautiful surroundings, the varied concerts, and the people who make it all work. Working as an Audience Greeter I’m impressed how happy the visitors are to be at Caramoor and how interesting it is to chat with them. One time a gentleman was sitting on a blanket engrossed in working on his computer, and I hesitated to disturb him. But rather than pass him by, I said “I notice that you are busy but I would just like to welcome you to Caramoor.” He looked up and said “I am busy but not too busy to talk to you.”, and we ended up having a delightful conversation.
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