Dr. Robert Gifford stands at the podium, in front of the Southeast Symphonic Wind Ensemble, like he has done many time before. He guides them through the difficult music of Percy Granger's "Lincolnshire Posie" to be performed at the ensemble's concert Thursday, their last concert of the school year. However, this is unlike Gifford's previous rehearsals with the ensemble because it is one of his last.

After 22 years at Southeast Missouri State University, the music professor and conductor of the Southeast Symphonic Wind Ensemble is retiring. The ensemble's April performance will be his last university show.

"I haven't had time for it to even hit me," Gifford said. "It'll probably hit me at the last concert."

At 62 years old, Gifford had been eligible for retirement for the past four years but didn't consider it until he experienced heart problems about two years ago.

Gifford had a rapid, uncoordinated heartbeat and underwent an ablation, a procedure in which wave energy is transmitted into part of the heart causing heart muscle cells in a very small area to die. This stops the area from emitting extra impulses that cause the extra heartbeats.

Gifford suffered complications from the procedure and had to take time off work.

Last summer, he decided it was time to retire. "I thought it was a smart thing to do," he said.

He certainly stayed at Southeast longer than he planned on his arrival.

"My goal was to stay here for a while and move on to a bigger school," he said. His short stay extended into a two-decade career.

"I think a lot of it was the potential I saw here for growth and improvement," he said.

The growth in the school marching band is an example.

"When I first came here the Golden Eagles had 60 members, and all I can say is they seemed dejected," Gifford said. "Three years later there were 170 members, and the attitude had turned around."

Gifford's colleague Barry Bernhardt, director of university bands, said Gifford has taken the band program to a higher level during his tenure, in particular the wind ensemble.

"That group has really grown," Bernhardt said. He cited the numerous performances the ensemble has given at the Missouri Music Educators Association conferences and the two performances at the southwestern division meetings of the College Band Directors National Association.

According to Bernhardt, the students have also benefited from the renown conductors and musicians Gifford has invited to perform.

"Bob travels overseas quite often and has marvelous contacts with rising composers in the world," he said. Bernhardt mentioned Keith Brion, the man behind "Stars, Stripes and Sousa," as the last musician Gifford brought to Cape Girardeau.

Dedicated to music

Gifford decided he was going to dedicate his life to music when he was in high school. Around his freshman year, Gifford was in the school band and a new teacher arrived who got him really excited about music. The teacher was one of the reasons he decided to focus on music education.

"I just had this thing as a child that I wanted to serve humanity," he said. "Teaching is a way to do that."

He received his bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Kansas, a master of music degree in wind instruments and percussion from the University of Michigan and both a master of fine arts and doctor of musical arts degrees from the University of Iowa.

He was a member of the U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command Band, Brass Ensemble and Jazz Band.

Before coming to Southeast, Gifford was assistant director of bands and associate professor of trombone at Central Missouri State University.

During his long stay at Southeast, Gifford served as the director of bands, director of summer music camps, coordinator of winds and percussion, professor of conducting and conductor of the Symphonic Wind Ensemble.

He also founded the Southeast Chamber Players, a professional wind chamber group, through a grant he wrote.

Bernhardt said Gifford is very knowledgeable and successful in writing grants.

In 1988, he received the Southeast Missouri State Faculty Merit Award for Outstanding Teaching.

Students in the wind ensemble think he is an outstanding teacher in 2004.

"He's a great inspiration to all music educators," said junior Matt Palisch. "His retirement marks a long chapter of touching lots of lives."

Palisch, a euphonium player and music education major, attended Jackson High School and took private lessons from Gifford before he even attended the university.

He described Gifford's teaching and conducting style as "demanding yet understanding."

"He's a real father figure to a lot of people." Palisch said. "He expects a lot but makes the students want to give him everything they've got."

Gifford said he will most miss the students, exposing them to new music and watching over their development as performers. "It's fun to lead them in that experience," he said. "It's always fresh. I'm not teaching the same old stuff every day. That keeps you young, and the kids keep you young."

Conducting forward

The end of his university career does not mean Gifford's conducting days are over.

This summer, Gifford will lead a 16-day tour of Europe with a group of 250 Missouri high school students called the Missouri Ambassadors of Music.

Gifford and his wife, Ann, an education professor, have been involved in the ambassadors for 15 years.

After the ambassadors' tour ends in June, Gifford will stay in Europe and be a guest conductor for the Ukrainian National Wind Orchestra when they perform in Austria.

He also has a conductor's workshop in Europe planned for next year.

But he still has the wind ensemble's spring performance to get through.

It will feature a xylophone solo, "Rainbow Ripple," by senior Amy Vrbosky, a saxophone feature, a performance of "Capriccio for Saxophone Quartet and Band" by the ensemble's saxophone section, and a performance of "Lassus Trombone" by the ensemble's trombone section.

Grace Notes, the bell choir of Grace United Methodist Church, will be the featured guest ensemble.

Gifford said it is probably better that he has been too busy to think about this performance being his last at the university.

"I'll miss the students a great deal," he said.

kalfisi@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182