Ottokar Drapal

Ottokar Drapal studied dance and music in Vienna and worked at the Vienna State Opera before joining the ORF Symphony Orchestra as principal clarinetist. His long career as a soloist and masterclass instructor took him all over the world. For an extended period, he served as second conductor alongside Horst Winter. After Winter's retirement, he was slated to succeed him for a considerable time, but a serious illness, which soon led to his death, prevented him from establishing a new and successful direction for the orchestra.