Maurice Strakosch (1825-1887) was born near Brün (Brno) in Moravia (now the Czech Republic). He studied piano as a child and made his debut at the age of 11. In 1832 he met the Italian tenor Salvatore Patti and in 1848 went to New York as the Patti family’s tour manager. This marked the beginning of his illustrious career as manager of singers, concert tours, and opera companies. He was an important teacher (and manager) of Adelina Patti, one of the most prominent prime donne of the 19^th century. Maurice and his brother Max subsequently managed American tours by many of the most important European operatic celebrities of the nineteenth century. Strakosch was also a skilled pianist and performed regularly; his many piano compositions were mostly dances, variations, operatic fantasies, and character pieces. He also wrote an opera, Giovanna, Prima di Napoli, which was mounted in New York in 1851.