Scionti, Silvio, 1882-1973

Silvio Vittore Alberto Scionti (Italian: [ˈʃonti]; born 20 November 1882; d 22 May 1973) was an Italian-born American pianist and teacher. Born in Acireale, Sicily, he trained at the Royal Conservatory in Naples. He eventually settled in the United States, teaching at the American Conservatory of Music, the Chicago Musical College, and North Texas State College (now the University of North Texas College of Music) from 1942[1] to 1953,[2] and privately in the Dallas area.[3] He performed as a soloist numerous times with the Chicago and Minneapolis orchestras, and frequently gave recitals. In the 1920s, he toured the United States performing piano duos with former student Stell Andersen.[3] After 1935, he and his wife Isabel toured Europe, Mexico, and the United States. He also recorded a handful of piano rolls.

Scionti died in Rome.[4]

Honors and awards
1956 — Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity, by the Italian Government[5]

Former students
Stell Andersen
Monte Hill Davis
Ivan Davis
Jeaneane Jo Dowis (1932–2013), married Samuel Lipman (1934–1994), pianist and co-founding editor of The New Criterion
James Robert Floyd
Jack Guerry
Mary Nan Hudgins
Jonetta Miller Hinkle
Lucy Scarbrough
Alice Downs
Jonathan Woods

Rome (Sp.)-- Pianist-teacher Silvio Scionti, 92, died here Tuesday after a long illness. He was well known in the Dallas area, having taught for nearly 20 years at North Texas State University on the music faculty.

Name: Silvio Scionti
Birth Date: 20 Nov 1882
Birth Place: Italy
Age at event: 44
Court District: Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa
Year of Arrival: 1903
Date of Action: 28 Sep 1927

Page 4: "Silvio's uncle, an accompanist and voice teacher, was the trained musician in the family, so the young lad's lessons were turned over to him until 1893. That year a decision was made to send him to the Palermo Conservatory to study with Beniamino Cesi. Because of illness, Cesi was actually Silvio's teacher for only about three months. His teacher for the full two years in Palermo was a severe disciplinarian named Torrigrossa" ... "
Torrigrossa (probably with Cesi's help) apparently made arrangements for Silvio to continue his studies at the Royal Conservatory of Naples (Conservatorio San Pietro a Maiella) in the class of Florestano Rossomandi.
So, nearing his fourteenth birthday, Silvio went to Naples, where once again he was under the shadow of a volcano, although this time a more benign one – Vesuvius."

Page 6: "Florestano Rossomandi had a close friend in Chicago who was trying to start a small music school. The friend, Enrico Sansoni, was a violinist, and he wanted to have a fellow countryman teach piano in his school. Acting on Rossomandi's recommendation, Sansoni invited Silvio to join him in Chicago. "

Page 7: "In 1906, Eugen d'Albert, the great English­German pianist, came to Chicago to give a concert. Knowing that d'Albert was a friend of Rossomandi and having heard him play many times in Naples, Silvio went backstage after the concert and introduced himself. D'Albert was so cordial to him, Silvio boldly asked the pianist for a private audition."

Pages 7-8: "As a result of the favorable impression Silvio made on d'Albert, the concert pianist spoke to F. Wight Neumann, an important and influential manager in Chicago.
Neumann, without even hearing Silvio play, recommended him to John Hattstaedt, president of the American Conservatory, and when the July 1906 issue of The Etude magazine appeared, Silvio Scionti's name was listed in an advertisement for the conservatory as a member of its faculty."

Page 136: "Bardas spoke as a friend: 'Silvio and I had a lot in common. He loved to speak Italian with me, and he was often lonely -- he was like the 'cat around the soup.' So we had him over to dinner practically every two weeks. He was such a lovable person.' Silvio very much respected and admired pianists who knew and performed all the Beethoven sonatas. Stefan Bardas was a relatively young man when he first took on that challenge..."