Italian opera it reached the republic of Venice. It was here that the first public opera house, the Teatro di San Cassiano, was opened in 1637 by Benedetto Ferrari and Francesco Manelli. Its success moved opera away from aristocratic patronage and into the commercial world. In Venice, musical drama was no longer aimed at an elite of aristocrats and intellectuals and acquired the character of entertainment. Soon many other opera houses had sprung up in the city, performing works for a paying public during the Carnival season. The opera houses employed a very small orchestra to save money. A large part of
National Opera House (Ireland) National Opera House (Ireland) The National Opera House, formerly the Wexford Opera House, is a theatre in Wexford, Ireland. It was officially opened on 5 September 2008 in a ceremony with An Taoiseach Brian Cowen, followed by a live broadcast of RTÉ's "The Late Late Show" from the O'Reilly Theatre. It was built on the site of the former Theatre Royal, Wexford, which was demolished to facilitate the development, the need for a new opera house was a result of the success of the Wexford Festival Opera and the provision of a theatre, concert and conference venue in Wexford. The