Francesco Cilea Biography

	Born: 1866-07-26 Died: 1950-11-20 Field: Composer
Field: Composer

Francesco Cilea, (Palmi, near Reggio Calabria, July 26, 1866 - Varazze, near Savona, November 20, 1950) was an Italian opera composer, whose early success was not sustained, as taste in music changed. In 1913, after his symphonic choral poem honoring Giuseppe Verdi was performed at the Carlo Felice Theatre in Genoa, Cilea devoted himself to managing music conservatories and teaching. He taught at Florence and Palermo and finally Naples, where he taught from 1916 and retired in 1936. Cilea also published pieces for pianoforte. His chamber music is not widely known.

The Reggio Calabria State Conservatory of Music and the Reggio Calabria Municipal Theater are named in honor of Francesco Cilea.