David DiChiera

David DiChiera ( ; April 8, 1935 – September 18, 2018) was an American composer and writer. He was the founding general director of Michigan Opera Theatre. He was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. He was known for his work "Four Sonnets" (1965), which was composed for soprano and piano. It premiered in 1978 at the Kennedy Center.
From 1981 to 1993, DiChiera was appointed artistic director of the Dayton Opera Association. In 1986 he was appointed founding General Director of the newly formed Opera Pacific. DiChiera has served as a trustee for the National Institute of Music Theatre and as a board member of the American Arts Alliance. He has been a panel member for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and chairman for the Opera/Musical Theater Panel.
In February 2016, DiChiera announced his retirement, effective in July 2017. In April 2017, DiChiera was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. DiChiera died on September 18, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan from the disease at the age of 83.