Page 47 - 2020 Classical Singer Magazine January Summer Program Issue

Jessye Norman School of the Arts
coming backstage to personally applaud them. Fishburne stated, “She was powerful and energetic, whimsical, and beautiful all at the same time. She made me feel something greater than myself.”
Gordon shared, “I have spent the past seven or eight years
performing in New York City during Thanksgiving, sacri cing time away from my family to do what I love most, sometimes creating a serious longing to just be ‘home.’ I was very fortunate that Jessye Norman and her family and friends would come to my shows on Thanksgiving night and
bring ‘home’ to me. What a blessing, pleasure, privilege, and honor to have the great Jessye Norman bring the spirit of my hometown to me so I wouldn’t be completely alone in the city during the holidays. Thank you, Ms. Norman. I will never forget it!”
Amidst a life of musical celebrity, she was known for hosting intimate dinners where she served her famous home-cooked turkey soup, she didn’t mind ironing a shirt for her brother before her own concert, and a family member recounted that Norman spoke of her connection to her past as what kept her grounded. “I tell myself that I’m not just me,” Norman wrote, “that I’m the result of things that happened long before I was born.”
The stories shared by her friends were lled with memories of Norman’s love, her generosity, and her passion for creating music that was as perfect as possible. An
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