Arturo Toscanini, born in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, on March 25, 1867, was
an Italian classical conductor and cellist who lived until 1957. He studied
cello at the Parma Conservatory before joining a touring opera orchestra as
principal cellist. On June 25, 1886, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at age 19, he
unexpectedly stepped in to conduct Giuseppe Verdi's opera Aida from memory,
launching his conducting career. He served as principal conductor at La Scala in
Milan from 1898 to 1908 and music director from 1921 to 1929. He was principal
conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in Ne...