A look back at composer Otto Nicolai

Classical WSMR | By Susan Giles Wantuck

Published June 9, 2026 at 9:25 AM EDT

Art image says Classical Music Moment on a gray background with a silhouette of a woman playing a cello to the left and musical notes to the right

WSMR explores history and the events in music, culture, the arts and more that shape our world.

Today is Tuesday, June 9, 2026.

On this day, June 9, 1810, composer Otto Nicolai was born in what was then Prussia.

His dad capitalized on his prodigious musical gifts when he was a child.

Nicolai founded the Vienna Philharmonic and his opera, “The Merry Wives of Windsor” based on the comedic Shakespeare play remains one of the most popular comic operas of his era.

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Susan Giles Wantuck

I grew up in a radio household. My dad was a radio newsman, and he used to take me and my siblings to work at his station in Coral Gables. Hearing his voice on the radio was a comfort to me.

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