Harmony McGivney’s story is not about titles or accolades, though she has earned both. It is about the quiet, consistent work of showing up, which she does with kindness, curiosity, generosity and an open heart.
As Box Office Manager at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, she spends her days navigating the logistics of ticketing with an audience-first mindset. “When you help people with tickets, you really don't know what they're going through and what an event means to them,” she says. “I love connecting with people and seeing how live events really do brighten someone's day … Having these events that people come together for is really beautiful.”
Harmony with her husband, Zach and their dog Otis.
That outlook is rooted in the quality Harmony values most in people. “Kindness,” she says. “I know it’s cliché, but you never know what anybody’s going through. I’m a very heart-on-my-sleeve kind of person, but I know a lot of people aren’t ... Leading with kindness is a really great way to live life.”
For Harmony, kindness is not performative. “It is the little things that people remember,” she explains. “People remember how you made them feel. If you make them feel valued genuinely, not to be schmoozy or anything like that, but just to acknowledge who they are and take the time, it goes a long way.”
When asked what brings her the most joy or greatest meaning in life, Harmony returns to that same idea of connection. “The human connection of things, whether it be at work or with helping people ... We have a client at the theater who comes every year, and a lot of grandparents bring their grandchildren to experience the event. [I enjoy it when I can] take extra time to really figure out exactly what they need. There's a row in the theater where there's no one in front of you, so if someone says, ‘I'm bringing my grandkids,’ and that row is available, I always suggest row G [because] there is no one in front of you. The kids can kick their legs, they are not bothering anybody, and you will have a good experience. Outside of work, whether it's meeting up with friends or performing music, having that kind of connection is something that brings me a lot of meaning and joy.”
In colleagues, Harmony values a team spirit. She recalls working through refunds with her ticket office associate after a canceled show. “I said, ‘We are in this together. We are a team. I’ve done X many so far, you start where I left off. I’m going to work from the bottom, and we’ll meet in the middle.’ It’s a great feeling when you work as a team and get what you need to get done, done.”
In Harmony’s view, leadership requires fluency across roles. “If you are a manager of a theater, you need to know how the ticket office runs, how production runs and how front of house runs, because that is what you are overseeing. I think that’s super important.”
That same sense of understanding and shared responsibility shapes Harmony’s life outside of work as well. The greatest loves of her life are close and uncomplicated. “Definitely my husband, Zach, and our beagle, Otis,” she says.
Harmony and Otis.
In their spare time, Harmony and her husband play music together in a cover band called Zach and Harmony. “We love to do country, rock and pop,” she says. They play in bars around Queens and other areas of New York City and frequent open mic nights. “There is a great music community. I love trying new restaurants and going to concerts. I like to be out and about.”
Harmony and Zach playing a rooftop show in Brooklyn.
Music has always been central to Harmony’s life. She still has the ticket stub from Cher’s Believe Tour in 1999, a concert she attended with her father. “We still talk about what a great concert that was, and how amazingly iconic Cher is,” she says. Forest Hills Stadium is her favorite venue, where she’s seen everyone from Dolly Parton and Roger Daltrey with the New York Pops orchestra to Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes and Greta Van Fleet.
Harmony and her Dad Tom at Forest Hills Stadium seeing Greta Van Fleet.
Harmony also grew up following the band Rooney. “The lead singer has now gone on to do TV and film, but his uncle is Francis Ford Coppola, so he had an in,” she says. “What’s fun is one of the band members is now on that TV show, The Pitt. He left music to become a nurse and is now on The Pitt, [which is a medical drama]. How crazy is that?”
Harmony and Zach meeting Robert Schwartzman of Rooney in 2019.
In terms of musical inspiration, especially since she and her husband perform together, Harmony points to The Chicks, formerly the Dixie Chicks. “Natalie Maines’s voice is one of the best. She can sing anything, and I think she’s so talented. I got to see The Chicks perform at Jones Beach a few years ago, and it was amazing.”
Zach and Harmony at Jones Beach seeing The Chicks.
When asked who she admires most, Harmony doesn’t hesitate. “Dolly Parton. She’s always been such an icon to me. [I love] the way she lives her life with positivity and grace, with all the adversity she’s overcome, and also giving back to her community. [I admire her] as a person, and also how supremely talented she is, I aspire to be in one way or another.”
She has seen Dolly Parton in concert twice, once as a high school student with her parents and later at Forest Hills Stadium with a friend. “Both times, out of nowhere, I just started crying,” she recalls. “She has a way of filling literal stadiums with so much emotion and passion. I think she’s amazing.”
Harmony and Zach dressed up as Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers for Halloween.
If granted three wishes, Harmony’s perspective expands beyond herself. “I would love for there to be more peace in the world. That would be nice. And no more world hunger,” she says. “Plus, [to] have time to do charity work within my neighborhood and really get involved if I didn't have to have a job to pay the bills. I think those things [would] solve a lot.”
Harmony grew up in Connecticut and has lived in New York City for 13 years. She has no desire to leave. “I love New York City. I don’t want to live anywhere else,” she explains. “We live in Sunnyside, Queens, which, to give perspective, is 20 minutes on the subway to Grand Central Station. So, we are super close to everything. Anything you want to do, you can. I love that Queens has any cuisine you could want if it exists. And, fun fact, every language is spoken in Queens, which is super cool. I love that whenever I go to vote and look around, I'm usually the only white person there, which is kind of neat, because it's just so multicultural, and you can learn so much. It is fun to experience all that [Queens] has to offer.”
Harmony and Zach celebrating Otis’ first Gotcha Day.
Having lived on the East Coast her entire life, Harmony has friendships that span decades as well as newer ones. “Compassion is the first thing that comes to mind [in terms of what I value most in my friends]. I have friends that I have known since the eighth grade. I have friends that I've known since moving to this neighborhood, Sunnyside in Queens, about six years ago. We are all meeting each other where we are and also having fun together. You want to be around people who make you laugh and feel inspired by in life.”
Harmony’s most treasured possession carries both memory and complexity. Her grandmother, who passed away when she was eight, owned a leopard cape. “Yes, unfortunately, it is real leopard,” she says candidly. “I wore it for some photos for our wedding … It was very sentimental and felt like a full-circle moment and a way to honor her. I love leopard print, too, so it's something I have that holds a lot of sentimental value.”
Her reading interests currently lean toward true crime. “Back in college, I read In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. I just started Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule, about how she worked with and knew Ted Bundy. It's creepy, but she's such a good writer that … [you] almost forget what you're reading about.”
Travel-wise, Chicago made a recent impression, but the North Fork of Long Island holds special meaning. “Greenport and Orient Point are such great getaways from the city,” she says. “[Zach and I] both love seafood, and they have amazing seafood markets. It's such a calming place, and it holds great memories for us, so we try to go back as often as possible. For summer beach things, Montauk is really great, especially going in September, when it's the off-season, because then it's a lot more chill and you can just relax on the beach and hang out.”
Harmony’s proudest achievements include shaping the ticket office at the Kaye Playhouse, where she will celebrate her ninth anniversary in May, and her deep involvement with INTIX. “I’m super proud to have been a two-time INTIX award winner,” she says. “That seems crazy to even say out loud.”
Harmony celebrates after winning the 2026 INTIX Spirit Award in Las Vegas. In 2021, she received the True Tickets Young Ticketing Professional Award.
She adds, “I'm a member of INTIX because it is such a fabulous community and it's a way, truly, to keep my finger on the pulse. I don't have a large department at work, so it's not like I have a ton of colleagues to bounce things off of, especially in ticketing … It's great to hear what's going on in sports, festivals and things that I don't know anything about. Hearing colleagues talk about those things helps me have a better perspective.”
Harmony continues, “I can't overstate how important INTIX is, how the community is such a resource to go to and ask questions. When we were coming back from the pandemic and people were talking about box office hours on Wednesday Wisdom, I went to my boss and said, ‘This seems to be what others in the industry are doing. What do you think about us doing X?’ We went ahead and did it, and it has worked out great for us. There is no better resource for anyone in ticketing than INTIX because you have a sounding board of brilliant individuals you can ask questions of and learn from.”
Beyond information, INTIX offers validation. “You can turn to someone and say, ‘Oh my God, these comp requests,’ and someone knows what you’re talking about,” she laughs. “I love my husband and friends, but they don't fully understand what it means for a client to say, ‘Why can't I use your house seats?’ I can talk to my friends at INTIX, and they know exactly what I'm talking about.”
After serving as Co-Chair of the Member Connections Committee, Harmony remains an engaged and active member of the group. She also co-chairs the TriTix regional ticketing group. Along the way, several fellow INTIX members have helped to shape her experience.
Harmony at a TriTix Happy Hour with co-chairs Jennifer Flynn and Vince Rieger.
“I have been lucky to have a lot of mentors,” Harmony says. “Mandi Grimm of Etix was really great in shepherding me into INTIX and joining the Member Connections Committee, along with Kacy Woody, who's been so great. My co-chair, Dawn Zappitello, has been an amazing confidant and mentor. Jon Secunda is such a wealth of knowledge and such a kind man who supports and really is there as a sounding board.”
When asked who or what inspires her, Harmony points to the very people she has just named. “I'm inspired by all the people that I just mentioned and what they've done and who they are. I always joke that I kind of have the tenacity of a Jack Russell Terrier. I keep wanting more and to see what's out there, because why not?”
Winning the INTIX Spirit Award in Las Vegas was a standout moment, as was seeing members fully engage during a networking activity she helped organize for first-time attendees. She likens the annual INTIX Conference to summer camp. “You show up, you see a lot of these people only once a year, and when you leave, I call it a happiness hangover … The conversations don’t end there. You have my email. We can hop on a call. This is what we’re here for. We are here to support each other, especially when something lands in your lap, and you wonder, ‘How do I manage this? What do I do?’ That is where the community support really comes into play.”
Harmony at INTIX 2026 in Las Vegas.
If Harmony could give her younger self one piece of advice, it would be simple: “Always go with your gut. It's really never led me astray. When I've thought, ‘Oh, no, but I can make it work in this situation or that situation,’ your gut knows what's right.”Top of Form
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