Franco Ghione (1886-1964) was an Italian conductor and violinist. He graduated from the Parma Conservatory and became a violinist for the Parma Theatre and the Augusteo in Rome . He began a conducting career in 1913 and conducted in many opera houses, including La Scala . He conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1936-1940, where it was said that, because he could not speak English , he "would explode in frustration" when his instructions were not understood.