Famous Impresarios

Quincy Jones is an American music impresario. He was born on March 14, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois. Jones became one of the most influential figures in 20th-century popular culture. His career spans six decades. Jones held many roles: trumpeter, conductor, composer, record producer, and film producer.

Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario. He hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1951 to 1982. His style became known as "champagne music" among radio, television, and live-performance fans.

Henry Dixon Cowell (March 11, 1897 – December 10, 1965) was an American composer, music theorist, pianist, teacher, publisher, and impresario. Virgil Thomson summarized his contribution to music in the early 1950s. Thomson wrote that Henry Cowell's music covers a wider range of expression and technique than any other living composer. Cowell began experiments three decades ago in rhythm, harmony, and instrumental sonorities. These experiments were considered wild then. Today, they are advanced.

Brian Samuel Epstein (; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was an English music entrepreneur who discovered and managed The Beatles. He was often called the group's "fifth" member. Epstein managed a music shop in Liverpool, where he spotted the potential of the four-man group during a lunchtime concert at the Cavern Club in 1961. Epstein put them under contract despite having no prior experience in artist management.

Edward George Sherrin (18 February 1931 – 1 October 2007) was an English broadcaster, author, and stage director. He qualified as a barrister before working in independent television and joining the BBC. Sherrin appeared in various radio and television satirical shows and theatre shows, some of which he directed.

Malcolm McLaren was born on January 22, 1946, in London, England. He made an impact on music, fashion, and visual arts through his creativity and ventures. McLaren started a clothing store called "SEX" with designer Vivienne Westwood in the early 1970s. This shop became a center for the punk movement in England, influencing rebellious youth culture and punk fashion.

Bill Graham was an American actor and producer. He appeared in films including "Apocalypse Now," "Bugsy," and "Fillmore."

Andrew Lloyd Webber, born March 22, 1948, in Kensington, London, is one of the most influential figures in musical theatre. Webber came from a musical family with a composer father and a violinist and pianist mother. He began composing music early on, showing innate talent that gained global recognition. He composed his first suite at age nine.

Jacques Offenbach brought his musical talents to many films during his Hollywood career. He worked on early entertainment projects like "Juke Box Rhythm" (1959), starring Jo Morrow, "Lautrec" (1974), and "Ludwig" (1972). Offenbach also contributed to "Tales of Hoffmann" with Moira Shearer (1951). He worked on "The Getting of Wisdom" (1977) and "The Great Waltz" with Horst Buchholz (1972). Offenbach's music continued to appear in films throughout the eighties and nineties, including the period piece "The Music Teacher."

Laurent Hugues Emmanuel Ruquier (born 24 February 1963) is a French television presenter, radio host, and comedian. He is also a lyricist, writer, columnist, and impresario. Since 2011, he has served as co-owner and general manager of Théâtre Antoine-Simone Berriau in Paris. Ruquier hosts the show On n'est pas couché on France 2 every Saturday evening since 2006.

Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh was born on October 17, 1946. He is a British theatrical producer and theatre owner known for many successful musicals. In 1990, the New York Times called him "the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world." Mackintosh produced shows such as Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Mary Poppins, Oliver!, Miss Saigon, Cats, and Hamilton. He received a knighthood in 1996 for services to musical theatre. In 2008, The Daily Telegraph ranked him number 7 in the list.

Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev (Russian: Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев) lived from March 31, 1872, to August 19, 1929. He was a Russian art critic, patron, and ballet impresario. Diaghilev founded the Ballets Russes. Many famous dancers and choreographers originated from his company.

Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932), known as Flo Ziegfeld, was an American Broadway impresario. He created the Ziegfeld Follies (1907–1931), inspired by the Folies Bergère of Paris. Ziegfeld also produced the musical Show Boat. He was known as the "glorifier of the American girl" and a member of the American Theater Hall of Fame.

Michael Cohl is a Canadian concert promoter, theatrical producer, and touring impresario. He was the former Chairman of Live Nation. Cohl now runs S2BN Entertainment in New York and Toronto. Fortune magazine named him the Howard Hughes of rock ‘n’ roll. He oversaw tours and related businesses for over 150 artists, including Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Pink Floyd, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young and U2. Cohl also developed "package" touring.

Lincoln Edward Kirstein (May 4, 1907 – January 5, 1996) was an American writer, impresario, art connoisseur, and philanthropist in New York City. He co-founded the New York City Ballet. Kirstein organized and funded the company for over four decades, serving as general director from 1946 to 1989. The New York Times called him "an expert in many fields," organizing art exhibits and lecture tours during that time.

Johnny Otis (born Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes; December 28, 1921 – January 17, 2012) was an American singer, musician, composer, arranger, bandleader, talent scout, disc jockey, record producer, television show host, artist, author, journalist, minister, and impresario. He influenced American R&B and rock and roll music. Otis discovered many artists early in their careers who became highly successful. These artists included Little Esther Phillips, Etta James, Big Mama Thornton, Johnny Ace, Jackie Wilson, Little Willie John, Hank Ballard, and The Robins (who eventua)

Max Reinhardt (September 9, 1873 – October 30, 1943) was an Austrian-born theatre and film director, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his innovative stage productions, he is regarded as one of the most prominent directors of German-language theatre in the early 20th century. In 1920, he established the Salzburg Festival with the performance of Hofmannsthal's Jedermann.

Michael White was a Scottish producer and actor who was known for producing "My Dinner With Andre," "White Mischief," and "Widow's Peak."

Barry Leslie Norman (21 August 1933 – 30 June 2017) was a British film critic, journalist and television presenter. He presented Film... on BBC One from 1972 to 1998 and was the programme's longest-running host.

Kim Vincent Fowley (July 21, 1939 – January 15, 2015) was an American record producer, singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his role behind a string of novelty and cult pop rock singles in the 1960s, and for managing the Runaways in the 1970s. He has been described as "one of the most colorful characters in the annals of rock & roll," as well as "a shadowy cult figure well outside the margins of the mainstream."

Giulio Gatti-Casazza (3 February 1869 – 2 September 1940) was an Italian opera manager. He was general manager of La Scala in Milan, Italy from 1898 to 1908 and later the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1908 to 1935.

Anthony Howard Wilson (20 February 1950 – 10 August 2007) was a British record label owner, radio and television presenter, nightclub manager, impresario and journalist for Granada Television and the BBC. Wilson was the man behind some of Manchester's most successful bands. He was one of the five co-founders of Factory Records and the founder and manager of the Haçienda nightclub. Wilson was known as "Mr Manchester", dubbed as such for his work in promoting the culture of Manchester throughout his career. He was portrayed by Steve Coogan in Michael Winterbottom's 2002 film 24 Hour Party People

Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, CH (29 April 1879 – 8 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with the Liverpool Philharmonic and Hallé orchestras. From the early 20th century until his death, Beecham was a major influence on the musical life of Britain and, according to the BBC, was Britain's first international conductor. Born to a rich industrial family, Beecham began his career as a conductor in 1899. He used his access to the family fortune to fina

Don Arden (born Harry Levy; 4 January 1926 – 21 July 2007) was an English music manager, agent, and businessman. He managed the careers of rock acts such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Air Supply, Small Faces, The Move, Black Sabbath and Electric Light Orchestra. He gained a reputation in Britain for his aggressive, sometimes illegal business tactics; which led to his being called "Mr Big", the "Yiddish Godfather" and the "Meyer Lansky of Pop".He was married to Hope Shaw, a former ballet dancer/teacher, who died in 1999. He was the father of David Levy and Sharon Osbourne (and father-in-l

Karl Klindworth (25 September 1830 – 27 July 1916) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor, violinist and music publisher. He was one of Franz Liszt's pupils and later one of his closest disciples and friends, being also on friendly terms with composer Richard Wagner, of whom he was an admirer. He was highly praised by fellow musicians, including Wagner himself and Edward Dannreuther. Among his pupils were Hans von Bülow, Georgy Catoire, and Ethelbert Nevin.

Robert Colin Stigwood (16 April 1934 – 4 January 2016) was an Australian-born British-resident music entrepreneur, film producer and impresario, best known for managing Cream and the Bee Gees, theatrical productions like Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar, and film productions including the extremely successful Grease and Saturday Night Fever.

Sir Augustus Henry Glossop Harris (18 March 1852 – 22 June 1896) was a British actor, impresario, and dramatist.

Humphrey McGuire Burton, CBE (born 25 March 1931) is a British classical music television presenter, broadcaster, TV director, producer, impresario, lecturer and biographer of musicians.

Clemens Heinrich Krauss (31 March 1893 – 16 May 1954) was an Austrian conductor and opera impresario, particularly associated with the music of Richard Strauss. Krauss was born in Vienna to Clementine Krauss, then a 15-year-old dancer in the Vienna Imperial Opera Ballet, later a leading actress and operetta singer, niece of the prominent nineteenth-century operatic soprano Gabrielle Krauss. His natural father, Chevalier Hector Baltazzi (1851-1916), came from a family of wealthy Phanariot bankers resident in Vienna. Baltazzi's older sister Helene was married to Baron Albin Vetsera and was the m

Eric Salzman (September 8, 1933 – November 12, 2017) was an American composer, scholar, author, impresario, music critic, and record producer. He is known for advancing the concept of "New Music Theater" (in his compositions and his large body of writing) as an independent art form differing in scope, both economically and aesthetically, from grand opera and contemporary popular musicals. He co-founded the American Music Theater Festival and was, at the time of his death in 2017, Composer-in-Residence at the Center for Contemporary Opera.Salzman's one true opera, Big Jim and the Small-Time Inv

Antonio Alessandro Boncompagno Stradella (Bologna, 3 July 1643 – Genoa, 25 February 1682) was an Italian composer of the middle Baroque period. He enjoyed a dazzling career as a freelance composer, writing on commission, and collaborating with distinguished poets, producing over three hundred works in a variety of genres.

Louis Jay Pearlman (June 19, 1954 – August 19, 2016) was an American record producer, con artist and fraudster. He was the manager of successful 1990s boy bands such as Backstreet Boys and NSYNC. In 2006, he was accused of running one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in history, leaving more than $300 million in debts. After being apprehended, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy, money laundering, and making false statements during a bankruptcy proceeding. In 2008, Pearlman was convicted and sentenced to up to 25 years in prison. He died in federal custody in 2016.

Lew Grade, Baron Grade, OStJ, KC*SS (25 December 1906 – 13 December 1998), born Louis Winogradsky, was a British media proprietor and impresario. Originally a dancer, and later a talent agent, Grade's interest in television production began in 1954 when, in partnership, he successfully bid for franchises in the newly created ITV network, which led to the creation of Associated Television (ATV). Having worked for a time in the United States, he was aware of the potential for the sale of television programming to American networks. The Incorporated Television Company (ITC; commonly known as ITC

Emanuel Schikaneder (1 September 1751 – 21 September 1812), born Johann Joseph Schickeneder, was a German impresario, dramatist, actor, singer, and composer. He wrote the libretto of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera The Magic Flute and was the builder of the Theater an der Wien. Peter Branscombe called him "one of the most talented theatre men of his era".

Domenico Corri (4 October 1746 – 22 May 1825) was an Italian composer, impresario, music publisher, and voice teacher. Corri was born in Rome and studied voice with Nicola Porpora in Naples. The son of a confectioner in a religious house, the Cardinal Portocaro nearly persuaded young Corri to study for the priesthood; but his musical aptitude early asserting itself, he found himself in Naples, a pupil of Porpora. In the house of this prince of singing masters—himself a pupil of Scarlatti and the world-renowned master of Mingotti and Farinelli—Corri boarded for five years (1763-1767), and chief

Jack Hylton (born John Greenhalgh Hilton, 2 July 1892 – 29 January 1965) was an English pianist, composer, band leader and impresario. Hylton rose to prominence during the British dance band era, being referred as the "British King of Jazz" and "The Ambassador of British Dance Music" by the musical press, not only because of his popularity which extended throughout the world, but also for his use of unusually large ensembles for the time and his polished arrangements. He mostly retired from the music industry after 1940, becoming a successful theatrical businessman until his death.

Bernard Delfont, Baron Delfont (5 September 1909 – 28 July 1994), born Boris (or Boruch) Winogradsky, was a leading Russian-born British theatrical impresario.

Billy Rose, born William Samuel Rosenberg, lived from September 6, 1899, to February 10, 1966. He was an American impresario, theatrical showman, and lyricist. Billy Rose was a major force in entertainment before and after World War II. He produced shows including Crazy Quilt (1931), Jumbo (1935), Aquacade (1937), and Carmen Jones (1943). As a lyricist, he wrote many famous songs. These include "Me and My Shadow" (1927), "More Than You Know" (1929), "Without a Song" (1929), "It Happened in Monterrey" (1930), and "It's Only a Paper Moon" (1933).

Kurt Herbert Adler (2 April 1905 – 9 February 1988) was an Austrian-born American conductor and opera house director.

George Englund (June 22, 1926 – September 14, 2017) was an American film editor, director, producer and actor.

Michael Louis Vincent Walsh was an Irish entertainment manager. He was born on 5 August 1952 and was a former judge on the British television show The X Factor. Walsh moved from Kiltimagh, County Mayo, to Dublin for a career in music. He managed Johnny Logan, Boyzone, and Westlife, three of Ireland's most successful pop artists during the 1990s and 2000s. Later, Walsh became a television talent pundit and personality. He judged The X Factor from its start in 2004 until 2017, except for 2015. Walsh also mentored the "Groups" category.

David Belasco was a writer. He wrote "The Girl of the Golden West," "Laugh, Clown, Laugh," and "Madame Butterfly."

Amadeu Vives i Roig (born 18 November 1871; died 2 December 1932) was a Spanish musical composer who created over one hundred stage works. He is famous for Doña Francisquita. Christopher Webber praised it for its "easy lyricism, fluent orchestration and colourful evocation of 19th Century Madrid," calling it one of his most loved works. It is one of the few zarzuelas that traveled abroad. Amadeu Vives' personal papers are kept in the Biblioteca.

James Allan Short, OBE, FRSAMD (April 4, 1928 – April 13, 2001), was Jimmy Logan. He was Scottish and worked as a performer, theatrical producer, impresario, and director.

John W. Considine Jr. was a film producer.

Andrew Loog Oldham (born January 29, 1944) is an English record producer, talent manager, impresario, and author. He managed and produced the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967. Oldham was known for his flamboyant style.

Roosevelt Jamison (July 15, 1936 – March 27, 2013) was a music manager, publicist, and songwriter in Memphis, Tennessee, during the 1960s. His first composition was "That's How Strong My Love Is." O.V. Wright recorded this song, which Quinton Claunch released on his Goldwax record label in 1964.

Bernie Hamilton is best known for playing station boss Captain Harold C. Dobey in the 1970s hit "Starsky and Hutch." Hamilton started acting while attending Oakland Technical high school in California. His older brother, Chico, later became an influential jazz drummer. Hamilton first got a break as a baseball player in "The Jackie Robinson Story." After playing some black stereotypes in the 1950s, Hamilton landed his first rewarding role as a wisecracking jazz musician in Luis Buñuel's 1960 film, "

Paul Sacher (April 28, 1906 – May 26, 1999) was a Swiss conductor, patron, and impresario. He founded and led the Basler Kammerorchester from 1926 to 1987. Sacher commissioned and premiered works by 20th-century composers with the chamber orchestra. He focused on new music but also studied baroque and classical eras. In 1933, he founded the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, an institute for early music.

Jonathan King (born Kenneth George King, December 6, 1944) is an English singer-songwriter, record producer, music entrepreneur, and former television and radio presenter. He gained prominence in 1965 with the song "Everyone's Gone to the Moon," which he wrote and sang as an undergraduate. The Guardian reported in 2002 that he sold over 40 million records. As an independent producer, King discovered and named Genesis in 1967. He produced their first album, From Genesis to Revelation, and founded his own label, UK Records, in 1972.