Gioachino Rossini was born in 1792 in Pesaro, Italy and died in 1868 at his villa in Passy, France.

Rossini wrote 39 operas before walking away from composing at age 39, a decision that shocked Rossini’s fans at the time. Rossini left his great fortune to the town council of Pesaro, the city of his birth, on condition that the money be used to fund a free music school. Conservatorio Statale di Musica “Gioachino Rossini” was founded in 1869 and officially opened in 1882. The Barber of Seville is a comic opera and is famous the world over. The opera premiered in Rome in 1816 when Rossini was only 26 years old. The Barber of Seville is the English translation of the Italian title Il barbiere di Siviglia.

An overture is played at the beginning of an opera before the curtain opens to reveal the stage. The orchestra is seated in an area below the stage called an orchestra pit. Many opera overtures are also performed as a stand-alone piece, or work, in an orchestra concert.