Dorthe Dreier

Violist Dorthe Dreier comes from Sønderborg in Denmark, where she started singing in a choir at the age of nine. In the choir she met other children who played the violin, and grew interested in playing a string instrument herself.

The dream of becoming a musician grew stronger when she was in the music program in high school. Her teacher at the Royal Danish Music Conservatory, Josef Kodousek, was a significant person on her road to becoming a musician:

− He was an excellent teacher and at the same time a wonderful person.

Studies with David Takeno in London also contributed to shaping her as a musician. She completed her studies in 1992 and held her debut concert in Copenhagen in 1994, after two years in the soloist class at the Royal Danish College of Music.

During her study years, she played with the European Union Youth Orchestra on several tours and projects, which helped her develop as an orchestra musician. Since 1992, she's been a project musician with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, which provides great experiences and diversion from her work in the Oslo Philharmonic.

− The intimate setting makes us play in a more chamber-like way, and I bring that back to my work in the symphony orchestra.

− A feeling of belonging and mutual love

The violist was engaged by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra in 1994.

− I enjoy going to work every single day. The work in rehearsals with good conductors in collaboration with my friends and colleagues gives me a feeling of belonging and mutual love for what we do which I don’t think I would have found in any other profession. In addition I experience that “kick” every week which is a result of playing concerts and communicating with the audience − it is that which gives the work meaning.

Her greatest experiences with the Oslo Philharmonic have been concerts and tours with Mariss Jansons.

− It’s a wonderful thing to play with a fantastic conductor in a packed-full Carnegie Hall, or with an excited public standing pressed up against the stage at the Royal Albert Hall, or in the world’s most beautiful concert hall − The Vienna Musikverein − which has an acoustic which makes the orchestra’s sound breathtakingly beautiful. Rehearsals and concerts with Herbert Blomstedt and Vasily Petrenko have also been highlights for me.

A concert can be a balm for the soul

Dorthe Dreier’s favourite composers are Gustav Mahler and Dmitri Shostakovich:

− Both had difficult lives and wrote very personal and emotionally-charged music which touches me deeply every time I play or hear the music. It’s always a special occasion for me to play their fantastic symphonies. Other composers I rate highly are Brahms, Bruckner, Richard Strauss, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn and Bach.

When she attends concerts herself, an important part of the experience is to see the musicians.

− Living people who are playing directly to and for me lend the music an extra dimension. I get swept away in the musicians’ interpretations and forget the every day for a while. I make up my mind to be present in the here and now, which is what allows me to free myself from worries and problems. In this way, a concert can be a balm for the soul! Emotions are processed and you can more or less consciously achieve clarity and calm, or find comfort or bubbling joy and energy. Music is magical!

When she's not working with classical music, Dorthe sometimes does gigs with the quartet Oslo Session Strings with André Orvik, Vegard Johnsen and Hans Josef Groh.

− We've recorded music for more than 150 records with many of the best Norwegian pop artists, and are regularly played in radio. It's an enjoyable hobby.