On Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, Brazilian conductor Tullio Colacioppo died at the age of 89.

Colacioppo began his career journey playing music at the age of six, studying piano, and at the age of 12 he began studying cello. However, he stopped playing cello after an accident where he lost the tip of one of his fingers.

He went on to become the Chief Conductor at the Theatro Municipal de São Paulo between 1961 and 2004 until he retired at the age of 70. He also went on to found the Faculdade Mozarteum de São Paulo.

Throughout his career, Colacioppo became a specialist in opera and conducted the works of Rossini, Verdi, Donizetti, Puccini, Wagner, Mozart, and Carlos Gomez, among others.