Rescigno, Nicola

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Rescigno, Nicola

Rescigno, Nicola , American conductor; b. N.Y., May 28, 1916. He studied law in Rome before pursuing a career in music. In 1943 he made his conducting debut at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In 1954 he co-founded the Lyric Theatre in Chicago, serving as its artistic director until 1956. In 1957 he co-founded the Dallas Civic Opera, where he served as music director until 1981, and of its successor, the Dallas Opera, until 1992. During his long tenure in Dallas, he conducted many premieres. He also was on the roster of the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. (1978–82), and appeared as a guest conductor of opera companies throughout North and South America and in Europe.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire