Giuseppe Selmi

Giuseppe Selmi (1912-1987) studied cello at the Orazio Vecchi Musical Institute in Modena under Prof.

Ercole Brettagna, a student of Francesco Serato. He graduated from the Parma Conservatory and refined his skills with Enrico Mainardi and Pablo Casals. After his capture on September 8, 1943, Selmi endured the concentration camps of Beniaminow, Tarnopol, and Münster. Despite these conditions, he composed significant cello works. Post-war, he held a prestigious chair at the Santa Cecilia National Academy and served as principal cellist for the RAI Symphony Orchestra in Rome. He collaborated with renowned conductors like Bruno Walter, Igor Stravinsky, and Leonard Bernstein, and composed numerous works for solo cello, piano, and harp. Later, he developed a passion for the viola da gamba, inspired by a gift from his wife.