Check Out Mary Hannigan’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Hannigan.

Hi Mary, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in Elko, Nevada in the 1950’s and 60’s. It was a small town with very few cultural events. I loved music from the time I was a toddler. My mother played violin and piano. She gave me a cardboard violin that I played often. I had an overstuffed child-sized rocking chair where I would rock and sing myself to sleep.

When I turned 5 years old, my mother started teaching me to play the piano. I learned to read music before I could read—no Sesame Street. When I turned 9 years old, she started me on the violin. Not too much after that, the school music teacher came to my class to demonstrate band instruments with the idea of getting students interested in playing them.

I took one look at the flute and just felt I had to play it. Mom said “No” as I already had two instruments to practice. I was not going to take “no” for an answer and pitched a fit. My dad finally intervened and told my mother: “If she wants a flute, give her a flute.” I got a flute with the caveat: “You better practice.” So I did. I continued to practice all three instruments every day through high school.

When I was in 8th grade, my mother drove me to Salt Lake City to take lessons from Eugene Foster who played principal flute in the Utah Symphony. His lessons were eye-opening as I had bad habits to fix which I did my best to do. My one regret is that we did not continue them. It was a long way to drive—234 miles each way.

When it came time to go to college, I was not certain that music would be my career so I went to Colorado College where I could study many things. Linear Algebra got me to realize that music was what I wanted to do. I met my husband, a pianist and wonderful accompanist there and we got married right after graduation. We decided to follow his career as a pianist as it had better job prospects than flute.

We ended up in Central Pennsylvania where he taught at Bucknell University, and I followed the path of “Have flute will travel.” I taught at Dickinson College, Susquehanna University, and Wilkes University and had private students at home. I also played in the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, a part-time professional orchestra. That was one of the joys in my life. I played chamber music with my husband, two wind quintets, and a flute and harp duo “Esprit.”

Along the way to this, I had some wonderful mentors: Paul Hochstad, Leone Buyse, James Scott, Geoffrey Gilbert, Keith Underwood, and Peter Lloyd, and master classes with Marcel Moyse and William Bennett. I am eternally grateful to each of them for having faith in me and sharing their expertise. One of my goals as a teacher is to give my students, especially the young ones, the knowledge that I didn’t have as a young flutist. Good early training is so important.

I boast that many of my students have done very well: Piccolo in the Chicago Symphony, performing on NPR “From the Top”, selected as a National Flute Association Flute Choir participant, and many who were chosen as first chairs at Pennsylvania All-State band.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think there are several things that I have struggled with. I am a perfectionist, which is necessary and can be good for a musician, but it can also be debilitating. It left me with less confidence and to a degree a lack of self-esteem. It has made it difficult to promote myself for fear of being rejected.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am retired now and continue to play my flute most days. I perform with my husband playing recitals of flute and piano music. I think what listeners respond to the most is the musicality we are able to project.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Don’t give up!

Contact Info:

• Website: blackcanyonrecords.com/mary

Image Credits
Lori Avarella
Jerry Allison