Ettore Stratta was an Italian-American conductor, born on March 30, 1933, in Cuneo, Italy. He studied piano and composition at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome before migrating to the United States. In the 1960s, Stratta became an A&R executive at Columbia Records, where he played a role in securing a contract for producer Rachel Elkind and composer-musician Wendy Carlos, leading to the release of Switched-On Bach (1968), which won three Grammy Awards. As a producer, he worked with notable artists such as Barbra Streisand, Dave Brubeck, Tony Bennett, and Al Jarreau. Stratta also conducted for major orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra and Melbourne Symphony. He passed away in New York on July 9, 2015.
