A composer overdid the central section (5)
I believe the answer is:
verdi
'a composer' is the definition.
(Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi)
'overdid the central section' is the wordplay.
'the central section' means to look at the middle letters.
The central letters of 'overdid' are 'VERDI'.
(Other definitions for verdi that I've seen before include "Diver became a strange composer" , "Giuseppe -----, 1813-1901, prolific opera composer" , "Italian opera composer" , "Italian composer (Aida)" , "Drive around to locate opera composer" .)