Deborah Dulay, violin
Sometimes a mistake is all it takes. That’s what happened to Deborah. “In middle school I had a schedule conflict and the only available class was orchestra. Good thing! Otherwise I would have missed out on music, which has become such an important part of my life. I feel like that was the universe setting me on the right path.”
Deborah is originally from Los Angeles, and has lived in Hawaii, Las Vegas and finally the Bay Area. She says she’s lucky to have had an unusual upbringing because her diversity of experiences are a real strength. She played through middle and high school, and in youth orchestra.
And UC Berkeley also played a pivotal life role. “When I was younger, my goal was always to attend UC Berkeley. I still remember my first Cal Day, and I how fell in love with the Berkeley campus—it was so vibrant and alive. I still feel that way!” At Cal, Deborah had a double major in history and rhetoric and, of course, there wasn’t much time for music. She took one music course, Baroque Ensemble in its inaugural year. And in her senior year, looking for a teacher, she came upon Eric Hansen. “I was looking for a teacher and saw his name on a list of recommended teachers. Eric really inspired me to push the limits of my playing abilities and helped me appreciate music on a deeper level. He also helped change my perspective on playing the violin—now, I see it as more of a process, something I can work on for the rest of my life.”
Deborah continued on to law school (with another 3-year music break) and is currently working at a civil rights agency for the State of California, investigating claims of discrimination. But very soon, she wanted to get back to violin again. Some things came back quickly, but Deborah felt like she needed to relearn some techniques, so reached out to Eric again. And that brought her to Prometheus; her first concert with us was exactly four years ago.
“I love playing with my fellow Prometheans; I love the camaraderie. It’s amazing how every concert set comes together—from the initial sight reading session to the dress rehearsal right before the concert. It’s like magic. It’s an exhilarating experience that’s only possible when everyone comes together and dedicates their time and effort to a greater cause: music.”
~Joyce Vollmer
