Calgary Suzuki Strings Association

The CSSA 22nd Annual Non-Competitive String Festival

May 12th & 13th, 2023

The CSSA String Festival was held at Fish Creek United Church - 77 Deerpoint Rd. SE Calgary.

Violinists attended in person with adjudicator in person. Guitarists attended in person with adjudicator joining on zoom.

Violin Festival Classes with guest adjudicator Dr. Rick Dorfer

(Students & Adjudicator will attend in person at Fish Creek United Church)

Open to all ages and levels (Students may play Suzuki, RCM or other repertoire)

Students may register for Solo, Solo Recital, Duet/Trio/Quartet and/or Ensemble classes. Students may be scheduled on Friday or Saturday. See registration form for complete details and cost information.

Violin Group Classes with guest adjudicator Dr. Rick Dorfer

(These classes will take place in person at Fish Creek United Church)

Suzuki violin students in books 1 - 3 are invited to participate in a fun, motivational group class with adjudicator, Dr. Rick Dorfer. Participants will be grouped into classes with others who play at a similar level. Students may be scheduled on Friday or Saturday. Cost $20 per student

Classical Guitar Festival Classes with guest adjudicator Nathan Bredeson

(Students attend in person at Fish Creek United Church, the adjudicator and out of town students will join us via Zoom)

Open to all ages and levels (Students may play Suzuki, RCM or other repertoire)

Students may register for Solo, Solo Recital, Duet/Trio/Quartet and/or Ensemble classes. Students will be scheduled on Saturday. See registration form for complete details and cost information.

String Festival Guidelines

  • Event is open to all CSSA members and non-members.
  • Registrations will be cut off once the maximum enrolment has been reached.
  • Please register early to avoid disappointment.
  • Late entries may be considered, but not necessarily accepted.
  • Fees are non-refundable after April 15th 2023.
  • Music selections in solo and solo recital classes should be played without repeats (exception for Suzuki Books 1 & 2.)
  • If possible, students should perform their selections from memory.
  • Students may play Suzuki, RCM or other repertoire. Violinists will need to bring orginal copies of any non-Suzuki repertoire with them to the festival. Please mark the bar numbers. Guitarists will need to submit a scan of any non-Suzuki repertoire (with bar numbers marked).
  • All festival classes are non-competitive. Each participant will receive a certificate of participation and adjudicator comments.
  • Recording (audio or visual) the performance of your child only is permitted.
  • Violin Students may participate in the group class option only or in addition to a festival class(es).
  • All group classes and adjudicated Festival Classes will take place at Fish Creek United Church.
  • Violin students must provide their own accompanist. If desired an onsite accompanist will be available for students in Books 1 -3. $10 per selection. See violin registration form.

Bios and Information About our Adjudicators

Dr. Rick Dorfer - Violin Adjudicator Nathan Bredeson - Guitar Adjudicator

Registration Closed

Dr. Rick Dorfer

Dr. Rick Dorfer enjoys the great variety he has developed in his career. He maintains an active schedule as a violinist, conductor and educator. As a violinist, Rick is a member of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. He leads a large class of violin and viola students in South Surrey using the fundamentals of the Suzuki philosophy. Rick appears on faculty at many summer festivals and regularly leads masterclasses and adjudicates festivals. Since 2014, Rick has conducted the Junior Orchestra at the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra. Previously, he was a conductor with the Surrey Youth Orchestra. Rick also served as Assistant Conductor for the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra, and guest conducted the Prince George Symphony Orchestra. As a member of the College of Examiners for the Royal Conservatory of Music, Rick has travelled Canada and listened to students worldwide. He also serves as Artistic Director of the Music, Meadows and Mountains summer retreat. Rick’s postgraduate training included an Artist Diploma from the Glenn Gould School and culminated in a Doctor of Music Arts degree from the University of Washington. Most recently, Rick was presented with a Queen Elizabeth Platinum Jubilee award for community building through music.

Nathan Bredeson

Featured in CBC’s “30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30 in 2018,” Nathan Bredeson is gaining international acclaim as an award-winning guitarist and composer. Nathan studied guitar with Denis Donegani (Canadian Guitar Quartet) at the University of Ottawa, and composition with John Armstrong and Frederic Lacroix. He completed further studies with the Cuban virtuoso Rene Izquierdo at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Nathan’s compositions and arrangements have been featured in international competitions, including the Miami International GuitArt Festival and the Great Lakes Guitar Festival. His composition Astral Projection won first prize in the Ottawa Guitar Society’s first Composition Competition in 2016. He released his first solo album, Nocturne, in September 2019. Nathan performs regularly with the Ottawa Guitar Trio: a groundbreaking ensemble dedicated to bringing the best music from film, video games, and classical repertoire to life on the guitar. The Trio releases regular videos on their YouTube channel and published their first EP, Level 1, in 2020. He also co-founded the Made in Canada Duo with guitarist Michael Ibsen to promote new works for guitar by Canadian composers. Nathan has given masterclasses and workshops for organizations such as Guitar Hamilton, the Guitar Alla Grande Festival, and the Eckhardt-Gramatte Conservatory, and has adjudicated for the Kiwanis Music Festival as well as MusicFest Canada. He currently lives in Ottawa, ON, where he teaches guitar and music theory for guitar for Ottawa Suzuki Strings. On the rare occasion that Nathan is not playing music, he is usually reading a good book or walking his dog, Buddy.