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Cheryl Gobbetti Hoffman, renowned flutist
Cheryl Gobbetti Hoffman, a member of the faculty of the Department of Music and a former Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra flutist, died on Aug. 1 after a long battle with cancer. She was 54.
Gobbetti Hoffman was nationally known for the four recitals she gave in Carnegie Hall. She also was first flutist with the Slee Sinfonietta, UB’s resident professional chamber orchestra, and led Plosion, UB’s flute ensemble.
Gobbetti Hoffman grew up in Lancaster and studied on scholarship at the Manhattan School of Music. She was 23 when she joined the BPO, hired by then-music director Michael Tilson Thomas. She played flute with the orchestra for 19 years.
Well-known for her adventurous spirit and sense of humor, her whimsical approach to life often influenced her music. She organized international flute conferences under the name of Pantasmagoria, and founded a flute-advocacy group called Whooosh.
A musical memorial service is being planned for October.