ABERDEEN, S.D. – Anne Marie Giffin was 3 years old when she first began playing the piano, and 14 years old when she first heard the piece that made her truly connect with music.
That piece was Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18.
“It is my favorite piece,” said Giffin, music teacher at May Overby Elementary. “It’s the piece of music that made me fall in love with music.”
Now, Giffin will perform this piece at a concert with the Aberdeen University-Civic Symphony. The concert, titled “Autumn Romance,” will take place on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Northern State University Johnson Fine Arts Center.
The concerto is one of the most difficult piano pieces to perform, but Giffin has played it before—she was 22 when she first performed it with the Jacksonville Symphony. Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Giffin started playing with that city’s symphony at age 14. As a teen, she did a lot of national competitions around the U.S. and later studied at the Peabody Institute.
But although Giffin has performed the concerto before, she said it’s been a long time. To get in shape to play the approximately 40-minute concerto, Giffin has been practicing since March.
Giffin is no stranger to practicing—growing up, her parents always made her practice, and she credits that hard work rather than innate talent for her success.
“I do not believe in talent,” she said. “I do not believe that some people are gifted.”
Giffin explained that she was born into an environment that was musical—her dad was a piano teacher who worked with her every day when she was very young.
“Hard work was instilled in me,” she said. “What I was born with was a desire for it. I wanted to do it.”
She hopes that she can inspire her own music students who also have a passion for music. Her advice for those students is to be consistent.
“The way to get better at something is to be consistent,” she said. “You have to be consistent, and if you want to be the best at anything, you find out what everybody else is doing and you do it more than they do.”
Loves Working at Aberdeen Public Schools
Now in her third year of teaching music at May Overby, Giffin said she loves her job.
“I love this district, and I love my students,” she said.
The best part of her job is the support she receives from classroom teachers and administration. She also likes putting on the spring and winter programs.
“I like the fact that we incorporate performance in the music program, even with the elementary choir,” Giffin said. “It’s important that students have a goal, something that they’re working towards.”
Giffin is also now an adjunct professor at NSU. Before moving to Aberdeen, she taught in Florida and Montana. She was told about the Aberdeen Public Schools job opening by a friend who is a Northern music professor and wanted Giffin to become involved with the symphony.
Saturday’s Performance is her First with AUCS
Giffin said she saw the potential opportunity to play with Aberdeen’s symphony as a plus when applying, though it wasn’t a certainty at the time.
Now that the potential is becoming a reality—Saturday’s concert will be her first performance with AUCS—Giffin said she is thankful for the opportunity.
“Working for the district opened a door for me, and I’m especially grateful for that,” Giffin said. “Having a door opened like that and being welcomed into the community the way I was, and the way I still am, is a great thing.”
About the Aberdeen Public School District
The Aberdeen Public School District provides a comprehensive educational program to approximately 4,200 students in grades K-12, with a mission of empowering all students to succeed in a changing world. Our students receive the knowledge and skills necessary to reach their potential in a global community through high expectations of academic achievement; diverse educational opportunities; and community involvement in a safe, supportive environment. Learn more at aberdeen.k12.sd.us.