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About
The Dresden Opera Chorus was founded on 8 October 1817 by royal proclamation. The issuing of this decree by Frederick Augustus I of Saxony can be largely attributed to the efforts of the recently engaged court Kapellmeister, Carl Maria von Weber, who was commissioned in that year to establish a German opera company to complement the Italian opera long performed in Dresden. Weber demanded the establishment of a »permanent theatre choir« able to meet the rising demands of the new opera repertoire.
Over the following decades and centuries, the Saxon State Opera Chorus developed into a first-class and highly sought-after ensemble thanks to the many outstanding figures who maintained its operatic roots while carefully nurturing its artistic development. The list of former directors includes Joseph Metzner, Wilhelm Fischer, Karl Maria Pembaur, Ernst Hintze, Gerhart Wüstner, Hans Peter Müller-Sybel, Hans-Dieter Pflüger and Matthias Brauer. They all cultivated the unique sound of the State Opera Chorus, a quality particularly influenced by the ensemble’s active concert schedule. An homogeneous and elegant tone, sensitive piano singing infused with a dense and rich timbre, these are the essential characteristics of the State Opera Chorus. Jörn Hinnerk Andresen was chorus director from 2014/15 to 2018/19. Jan Hoffmann assumed the post of acting director from the 2019/20 season.
Today the Saxon State Opera Chorus is regarded as one of Europe’s leading classical choirs. Its appearances on the operatic stage, its participation in concerts and radio, television or CD productions as well as its regular performances at festivals and on tour have earned it international recognition and the highest accolades.
Of particular significance was the collaboration with the conductor Giuseppe Sinopoli, who viewed the ensemble as still possessing untapped reserves. In numerous CD productions, the chorus time and again reached new artistic heights, which were consolidated in the years after Sinopoli’s sudden death by constant work.
As in all artistic endeavours of the Saxon State Opera in Dresden, the State Opera Chorus combines a strong sense of tradition and contemporary artistic responsibility with a desire to meet future challenges.
Since 2013 the State Opera Chorus, together with the Staatskapelle Dresden, has been a permanent guest at the Salzburg Easter Festival, whose artistic director is Christian Thielemann.
On 8 October 2017, the Saxon State Opera Chorus celebrated its 200th anniversary.