Editing Constantin Silvestri (section)

==Early life==
Silvestri, born of Austro-Italian-Romanian stock, was brought up mostly by his mother, his father dying from [[alcoholism]], and his stepfather dying when the boy was 16. He had learnt how to play the piano and organ before the age of six. He played the piano in public at 10 and was a skilled improviser.<ref name="CRC">Morgan K. From Bucharest to Bournemouth. ''[[Classic Record Collector]]'', Winter 2009, Vol 59, 16-22.</ref> He studied at the [[Târgu Mureş]] Conservatoire, and later at the [[National University of Music Bucharest|Bucharest Conservatoire]]. His teachers in Bucharest included [[Mihail Jora]] (composition) and [[Florica Musicescu]] (piano). Despite not having taken conducting classes, he was already appearing as conductor in his teens, making his debut in 1930 with the Bucharest Radio Symphony Orchestra in a concert which included ''[[The Rite of Spring]]''<ref name="CRC"/> and his own composition ''Prelude and Fugue (Toccata)''.