Picayune native and pianist Micheal Rigney recently won first prize at the Orfeo International Music Competition, which was held in Vipiteno, Italy.
At the beginning of his musical journey, Rigney, 12-years-old at the time, originally wanted to learn how to play the saxophone.
“However, we already had a piano and my parents told me if I learned the piano, then I could learn the saxophone,” he said. “Almost immediately, I absolutely loved it.”
His love for the piano grew until he decided a career in music was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.
After graduating from Picayune Memorial High School, Rigney attended Wheaton College Conservatory in Chicago, Illinois. During his undergraduate years, he took a job in another field.
“However, no amount of money can replace the fulfillment of loving what you do,” Rigney said. “So I went back to school when I realized that’s what I had to do.”
He completed his bachelor of music at the University of Southern Mississippi and is currently working on his master’s degree at Tulane University in New Orleans.
Rigney said there are so many things he loves about playing the piano.
“There are few things in life that you can do your entire life and never run out of new things to learn,” Rigney said. “The challenges of classical music are endless. There’s always work to be done and room for improvement. It’s a great form of self-expression and cathartic.”
Rigney also teaches piano to students in his Picayune home and also teaches undergraduate students as part of his duties as a graduate assistant. He ultimately sees himself teaching at a university of conservatory.
Rigney said he mostly plays classical music, but also enjoys playing jazz.
“I gravitate towards the genre of the late Romantic era,” Rigney said. “I enjoy playing Rachmaninoff and Uskriabin.”
He is currently preparing himself for another competition, the Louisiana International Competition, and practicing Bach.
“When you spend enough time with each great composer, you realize how great each of them are,” Rigney said.
The Orfeo competition was Rigney’s first international competition. His video submission passed the preliminary round, thus advancing him to the final competition in Italy.
“These competitions can be intimidating,” Rigney said. “I was sitting outside the recital hall hearing people play and their level of playing was very high. I realized I had to follow that. However, I don’t view them as competitions, but a means of expressing what I want to express through music.”
After the recital, Rigney also performed one of his own compositions.
“It felt nice to win and I was kind of surprised,” he said. “My professors push these competitions if you are seeking a classical career. It’s one of the ways the classical world works, they have to have seen your name.”