Francesco Cilea

1866 – 1950

Cilea short biography

Francesco Cilea was trained at the Naples Conservatory and won the unqualified triumph with his opera Adriana Lecouvreur (1902, Milan) with its appealing subject and rewarding title role.  Cilea's last opera, Gloria, was staged at La Scala under Toscanini (1907) but withdrawn after two performances. Cilea had a significant career as a teacher in Florence, in Palermo and finally in the Conservatory in Naples, a position he retained until he retired in 1936.