Staatskapelle Dresden

Founded in 1548, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the orchestra of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden, is the oldest orchestra in the world, and one of the richest in tradition. The orchestra has been associated with superlative music directors and conductors, including Carl Maria van Weber, Richard Wagner, Richard Strauss, Fritz Reiner, Karl Böhm, Rudolf Kempe, Herbert von Karajan, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Eugen Jochum and Seiji Ozawa. Richard Strauss had a 60-year association with the orchestra: nine of his operas were premiered in Dresden, and the Alpine Symphonyis dedicated to the Staatskapelle Dresden. Bernard Haitink assumed the position of Chief Conductor after the sudden death of Giuseppe Sinopoli in 2001. Fabio Luisi is the Music Director designate from the 2006/07 season.

Askonas Holt has a long and proud tradition of touring the Staatskapelle Dresden, not just with Bernard Haitink, but also with with Sir Colin Davis (Conductor Laureate) and Myung Whun Chung. We are proud of the 8-concert tour to the USA in 2005, conducted by Myung Whun Chung and with Emaneul Ax at the keyboard. This tour included 2 performances at New York's Carnegie Hall, and concerts in Chicago, Boston and Florida.

In 2006 we toured the Staatskapelle Dresden on a 9-concert tour of Asia with Myung Whun Chung, and in January 2007 we toured the orchestra in Europe with Daniel Harding conducting Mahler 9. Looking to the future we have many plans for tours with the orchestra's new Music Director Designate, Fabio Luisi