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Gioachino Rossini was not only the chief operatic composer of his time but also a great innovator. Lesueur, the greatest composer of the French school, claimed his ardent genius had opened a new road and marked a new epoch in musical art. In the opera seria, he substituted singing instead of long recitatives; in the opera buffa, he inaugurated new comedy styles. Further, he introduced many new instruments to Italian orchestras. To him belongs the preghiera for a whole body of voices.

He had a good baritone voice and was an excellent pianist. In 1804, he had lessons in singing and pianoforte playing at Bologna. Two years later, he acted as musical director to a traveling company, but he soon returned to Bologna to study composition at the Lyceum.

His first successes were at Venice and Milan. In 1813, he wrote Tancredi, the first of his operas, which, with L'Italiana in Algeria, became celebrated throughout Europe. In 1816 and 1817, he composed for the Teatro Valle at Rome his happiest, if not his greatest works, The Barber of Seville and Cenerentola. Meanwhile, he had begun his career at the San Carlo in Naples and wrote for this important opera-house in 1818.

In 1823, Semiramide premiered at the Teatro la Fenice in Venice, making it his last work in Italy and his thirty-fourth opera.  In 1824, he spent the season in London. At the first concert, he himself sang the solo. In the same year, he undertook the direction first of the Italian Opera and then of the Académie in Paris.

His last and finest opera, William Tell, was written for Paris in 1829. He lived with his father in Bologna from 1836 until 1866, when he moved to France. He remained in France until his death in 1868.

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Eric Friedman 
Director, Digital Learning

Kenny Neal 
Manager, Digital Education Resources

Tiffany A. Bryant 
Manager, Operations and Audience Engagement

JoDee Scissors 
Content Specialist, Digital Learning

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Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Bank of America; Capital One; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ednah Root Foundation; Harman Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The Kiplinger Foundation; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; The Markow Totevy Foundation; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives;

Prince Charitable Trusts; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Volkswagen Group of America; Jackie Washington; GRoW @ Annenberg and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family; Wells Fargo; and generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts..

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