Amilcare Ponchielli

Biography

Amilcare Ponchielli (1834 - 1886) was an Italian opera composer. After writing his first symphony at the age of 10, he continued on to writing his first opera in 1856. Despite receiving poor reviews at the start of his career, he later became a popular and influential composer. Nowadays, his opera 'La Gioconda' continues to be regularly performed around the world.