Cleva, Fausto (Angelo)
Cleva, Fausto (Angelo)
Cleva, Fausto (Angelo), Italian–born American conductor; b. Trieste, May 17, 1902; d. while conducting at the odeum of Herodes Atticus in Athens, Aug. 6, 1971. He studied at the Trieste Cons, and the Milan Cons. After making his conducting debut with La Traviata at the Teatro Carcano in Milan in 1920, he emigrated to the U.S. and became a naturalized citizen in 1931. In 1921 he joined the staff of the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y., where he later was chorus master (1935–42). On Dec. 4, 1938, he made his first appearance there as a conductor in a Sunday evening concert. His formal debut with the company followed on Feb. 14, 1942, when he conductedIIBarbiere di Siviglia. He then conducted at the San Francisco Opera (1942–44; 1949–55) and was music director of the Cincinnati Summer Opera (1943–63). He also rejoined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera in 1950, where he conducted every season until his death.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire