Simon Dratfield

Simon Dratfield, principal flutist of the GVO, is indeed our kind of “amateur” — someone who plays simply for “amour”, the love of music. A founding member of the GVO, Simon also serves on our Board of Directors and as Orchestra Personnel Manager. Simon studied flute with Murray Panitz, first flutist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and later with renowned artist-teacher Joseph Mariano at the Eastman School of Music. Though a long time and dedicated West Villager, Simon is sometimes spotted sneaking uptown to Carnegie Hall where he sings with the Oratorio Society of New York.

In what is sometimes referred to as “real life”, Simon is President of Dratfield Analytics Incorporated, a marketing consulting firm specializing in mathematical modeling and econometrics.