The Prince George Symphony Orchestra presents The Emperor Saturday night at Vanier Hall.
Guest conductor Rick Dorfer, a doctor of musical arts in violin, and guest performer Sara Davis Buechner, a classical concert pianist, give a performance featuring Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 and Piano Concerto No. 5.
Dorfer was asked to step in when another guest conductor, John Van Deursen, accepted another position. Dorfer was invited only a month ago to conduct and since that time he's played nine concerts.
"It's been an incredibly busy time," he said. "When they first contacted me, I thought 'Oh, I want to say yes,' and I looked at the calendar and asked myself if this is realistic. Then I started thinking about some of the goals I have in life, in my career, and this is one of them so I have to make it work. So I said yes, let's do it and I have been madly studying score."
This past week Dorfer's been playing violin with the Cuban National Ballet in the pit orchestra downtown Vancouver and colleagues have been asking why he's studying orchestra scores.
"It's a fun story because it was the Vancouver Opera Orchestra I was playing with and the assistant conductor is Les Dala [former artistic director and conductor of the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, the job for which Dorfer is auditioning]."
Small world.
After obtaining his doctor of musical arts degree in violin from the University of Washington in Seattle, Dorfer returned to the Vancouver area during the summer of 2006. He currently resides in White Rock, where he is quickly establishing himself as a performer and adjudicator. In addition to maintaining a teaching studio in White Rock and Langley, Dorfer regularly performs with the Vancouver Opera Orchestra and the Abbotsford Symphony.
Dorfer also conducts the Surrey Junior Strings Orchestra. Dorfer's latest endeavour is establishing the Music, Meadows and Mountains Retreat, a summer strings program located on beautiful Orcas Island, Washington.
"Being a music director you have to be very talented and very lucky at the same time," Dorfer said. "Things have to come together for you and the job market for music directors is very small and in terms of my life and my long term training has been in violin -- since I was four years old."
At every opportunity Dorfer takes conducting courses.
"Then during my masters degree I was on a tuition waiver with an American school and I just thought if school's free, why not just add a conducting degree, on top of the violin and the intensive music program I was in," said Dorfer. "I spent a lot of time in school, working with groups and other student conductors. So it's something that's always been there but I understand it's a long shot."
Tickets Available at Studio 2880, 2880 Fifteenth Avenue or at the door. Adults $29.00, seniors $25 and under 25 $15.
