A comic opera in two acts, The Rose of Persia is the final opera completed by English composer Arthur Sullivan. After straying from his comedic roots for several productions, Sullivan cultivated a work composed of exotic influences within his built environment and plot elements. Although revived unevenly today, The Rose of Persia capitalizes on Arthur Sullivan as a consistently successful composer; demonstrates the influence of late 19th century ethnic groups within this particular musical; directly draws parallels with Middle Eastern cultures and sufficiently implies similarities and differences with comparable earlier works, of which they also include depictions of exoticism and orientalism. On June 24, 1842, Arthur Sullivan was born in South London. At an early age, Sullivan's musicianship was easily recognisable, which his father supported immensely, as he was a conductor. Because if it weren't for his father's support and employment, it's possible that Sullivan's introduction to music wouldn't have happened so early. According to Sullivan, he was "intensely interested in everything the band did" and "learned to play every wind instrument" (Young 5). With his growing interest in music, Sullivan continued his studies at the Royal Academy of Music until 1858, then attended the Leipzig Conservatory. Over the course of several years, Sullivan fulfilled his passion for music by conducting, until in 1871 he began his collaboration with the librettist WS Gilbert. Gilbert and Sullivan produced several projects together, including Ruddigore, Yeomen of the Guard and The Gondoliers, forming a notable working relationship. (Youth 5). Following an argument over expenses, a feud broke out and the partnership ended. With this new platform free from Gilbert's presence, Sullivan moved on to composing without Gilbert's assistance (Young 5). For the rest of his career, Sullivan worked with other librettists, continuing to compose primarily comic operas, such as The Rose of Persia. Composed by Arthur Sullivan, The Rose of Persia was created in 1899, then began its debut performance in the same year. The Rose of Persia premiered on 29 November 1899 in London at the Savoy Theater ("The Rose of Persia (Sullivan opera)"). The romantic piece featured two acts and instrumentation by vocal soloists, a choir and an orchestra. After the premiere, the opera toured extensively in America and the Anglo-Saxon world, reaching a total of 220 performances (Citation Needed). While Sullivan was the composer of the two-act comic opera, Basil Hood was the librettist of The Rose of Persia ("Sir Arthur Sullivan (British Composer)").