Not only one of the most beautiful opera houses in the world, the Semperoper is renowned both here and abroad for the brilliant star-studded performances by Saxon State Opera as well as numerous international guest artists. This is the home of the Staatskapelle Dresden, an orchestra which looks back on 460 years of uninterrupted music-making. The State Opera Chorus was founded by Carl Maria von Weber in 1817. Operatic history has been written here, with the Semperoper playing host to numerous important premieres, such as Richard Wagner’s »Rienzi«, »Der fliegende Holländer« and »Tannhäuser «. The house is inextricably linked to the name of Richard Strauss, 21 of whose stage works were premiered in Dresden, including »Salome«, »Der Rosenkavalier« and »Elektra«.
Over the centuries the Semperoper has sought to balance tradition with innovation, with each successive general manager placing their own personal stamp on this fascinating blend of old and new. Now Dr. Ulrike Hessler, general manager of the Semperoper Dresden since the 2010/11 season, has introduced a fourth programme of events for children and young people to complement the traditional focus on opera, concerts and ballet: Semperoper Junge Szene. Ref.: http://www.semperoper.de/en.html