Dresden Classical Music and Jazz

Classical music

The Semper Opera House on Theaterplatz is the home of the Saxon State Opera, the Dresden State Orchestra, the Dresden Semperoper Ballet, and the 99-seat Kleine Szene, a studio theatre for the opera company. (Click "English" in the site menu if you don't read German.) It offers performances year-round, and guided tours are available most days.

Light opera and musicals are performed by the Dresden State Operetta, which has its own theatre southeast of the city center.

The Dresden Philharmonic has its home in the Kulturpalast, a modern concert hall and theatre complex that also stages musicals, cabaret, pop concerts, and other events.

The Kreuzkirche (see my article on the Kreuzkirche tower) attracts choral-music fans with the 700-year-old Dresdner Kreuzchor, which performs regularly at concerts and occasionally at church services.

In late May through early June, the Dresden Music Festival puts on a busy schedule of concerts and dance events with world-renowned orchestras and performers.

For more information on classical music in Dresden, see the City of Dresden's English-language Music, Theatre and other Shows page.

Jazz

Dresden's International Dixieland Festival attracts nearly half a million visitors in May, when "the sound of New Orleans" can be heard in concert halls, in bars, and in clubs. There's even a "Dixie Parade" along the riverfront. Another local mecca for jazz fans is the Jazz Club Neue Tonne, which (like the Dixieland Festival) traces its history back to the GDR era.