Impresario
The Impresario (Pierre Ducarre), 1877
An impresario (from the Italian impresa, "an enterprise or undertaking") is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas.
The term originated in the social and economic world of Italian opera, in which from the mid-18th century to the 1830s, the impresario was the key figure in the organization of a lyric season. The owners of the theatre, usually amateurs from the nobility, charged the impresario with hiring a composer, the orchestra, singers, costumes and sets, all while assuming considerable financial risk.
In 1786 Mozart satirized the stress and emotional mayhem in a single-act farce Der Schauspieldirektor (The Impresario). Antonio Vivaldi was unusual in acting as both impresario and composer.
The term originated in the social and economic world of Italian opera, in which from the mid-18th century to the 1830s, the impresario was the key figure in the organization of a lyric season. The owners of the theatre, usually amateurs from the nobility, charged the impresario with hiring a composer, the orchestra, singers, costumes and sets, all while assuming considerable financial risk.
In 1786 Mozart satirized the stress and emotional mayhem in a single-act farce Der Schauspieldirektor (The Impresario). Antonio Vivaldi was unusual in acting as both impresario and composer.
Impresario adapted from Wikipedia and licensed by The Cultural Me under CC BY SA 3.0