Riccardo Muti, (born July 28, 1941) is an Italian conductor. He is the Music Director Designate of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and will officially start his contract in 2010. Muti was born in Naples, Italy, where his father was a doctor and an amateur singer; his mother was a professional singer. Muti studied piano in Naples at the Conservatory of San Pietro a Majella under Vincenzo Vitale. He was subsequently awarded a diploma in Composition and Conducting by the Conservatory "Giuseppe Verdi