Pietro Cimara

Pietro Cimara (1887–1967) was an Italian composer, pianist and conductor. Born in Rome, he studied at Santa Cecilia with teachers including Ottorino Respighi, Stanislao Falchi and Alessandro Bustini. His career developed through work at Rome’s Teatro Costanzi, collaborations with leading conductors and extensive activity as a pianist accompanying singers.

He toured with Luisa Tetrazzini and later worked at New York’s Metropolitan Opera. His demanding operatic career often kept his compositional work out of the public eye. His art songs, marked by an intimate sense of melody and a pianist’s sensitivity to colour, form an important part of his legacy. He died in Milan in 1967.