Serafim Orfeev was a pupil of Nikolai Vilinsky. From 1934 to 1941, Orfeev worked as an assistant to Professor Vilinsky at the composition department.
Orfeev also served as the executive secretary of the Odessa Board of the Union of Composers of Ukraine until July 1941, an organization where Vilinsky acted as chairman. Orfeev authored memoirs about his teacher.
