David DiChiera '56, M.A. '58, Ph.D. '62

David DiChiera '56, M.A. '58, Ph.D. '62, passed away September 18, 2018, at age 83.

Born in McKeesport, Pa., in 1935 to Italian immigrant parents, DiChiera was raised in Los Angeles. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1956 from UCLA, his accomplishments as a pianist and composer garnering him the Atwater Kent and Gershwin Awards. He also received a Fulbright scholarship for musical studies in Italy. He received a Ph.D. in Musicology while also serving as an instructor in 1962.

DiChiera was founder and long-time General Director of Michigan Opera Theatre and also ran Opera Pacific in Orange County, Calif. from 1986-1996. In 2013, he received the Kresge Eminent Artist Award, given annually to a metropolitan Detroit artist whose work and career exemplify sustained, outstanding achievement and a commitment to sharing that work with the local community.

Read the Michigan Opera Theatre's press release here.