Adrienne Gifford began playing cello at age 14 and loved it from the beginning. Her parents and teachers believed in her potential and did not discourage her from a career in music, despite her late start. In 1991, 3 years after starting on the cello, she won the Joseph Feder Memorial String Competition in Washington, DC. In 1993, 5 years after starting on the cello, she won a Sigma Alpha Iota province competition. In the summer of 1996, she soloed, playing Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations, with the Pan American Symphony, where she also served as principal cellist from 1992 – 1994. In December of 1998, she was reviewed by the Washington Post as an “excellent cellist”.
Adrienne Gifford joined the cello section of the Richmond Symphony in the Fall of 2002. Previously, she was a member of the Fairfax Symphony (VA), Amarillo Symphony (TX) and the Champaign-Urbana Symphony (IL).
Adrienne earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Cello performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign and her Master’s Degree in Cello performance from West Texas A and M University, where she received a full merit scholarship. Her teachers include Robert Newkirk, Laurien Laufman and Emanuel Lopez. As a professional cellist, she takes lessons with Evangeline Benedetti of the New York Philharmonic about once every 3 months to continue to grow as a cellist.
During her summers, Adrienne participated in the Eastern Music Festival, Music Festival of Arkansas, Brevard Music Center, Wintergreen Music Festival and Aspen Music Festival, where she served as principal cellist of the Aspen Sinfonia Orchestra in 1999. During the summers on 2002 and 2003, she was employed as principal cellist with the Shippensburg Festival Orchestra in Shippensburg, PA.
Adrienne is a former faculty member of the Amarillo College Suzuki String Program, DC Youth Orchestra Program and the Levine School of Music in Washington, DC. When she isn’t working or practicing, Adrienne enjoys involvement with her church and Bible Study as well as spending time with her parents and grandparents.