Last night I had the great honor of joining a sold out crowd to open Carnegie Hall’s 2024–2025 season, and I’m so happy my friend, Ashley, could enjoy it with me. There were so many surprises and delights as the program mixed well-known favorites with first-of-their kind discoveries during a thrilling concert.
Conductor Gustavo Dudamel is beloved among classical music lovers and Hollywood as one of the greatest of our time. He gives a full-body experience to his conducting and the joy he gets from leading the exceptional Los Angeles Philharmonic is evident to everyone who has the good fortune to see him do the work he loves. What knocked me out was the absence of a physical score. He conducted entirely from memory and never missed a beat. Even among world-class conductors, this was an incredible feat.
Lang Lang joined Dudamel as the soloist for Rachmaninoff’s well-known Piano Concerto №2 in C Minor, Op. 18. At turns sweeping, fun, serious, and heartfelt, it spans the range of human emotion. Like Dudamel, Lang Lang gives his entire being to the music and also performs entirely from memory. At multiple points in this piece, Lang Lang’s hands and fingers were moving so quickly they appeared to blur. He’s an absolute wonder to see live and the audience was on their feet as soon as the piece ended demanding an encore, which Lang Lang happily gave.
The second half of the program was anchored by baritone soloist Gustavo Castillo performing Estancia, Op. 8 by Alberto Ginastera. The lyrics derive from José Hernández’s poem Martín Fierro, a heartbreaking story of the plight of the gaucho (a farmer or cattle herder in Argentina) losing his rural way of life. Last night this work received its first complete Carnegie Hall performance on record, demonstrating the Hall’s dedication to lesser-known works deserving of the spotlight. Castillo, Dudamel, and the Philharmonic kept the audience’s rapt attention right to the end.
There’s no better way to spend a year than reveling in music, familiar and new. See the full program and purchase tickets at https://www.carnegiehall.org/.
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
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