In 2021, the festival program's focus lies more than ever on genre diversity and internationality. With the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under Jaap van Zweden, an Asian orchestra will, for the very first time, open the festival. Rock icon Sting sets the final chord. This time, the commission of the Dresden Music Festival comes from the pen of Swiss composer William Blank – the triple concerto »Alisma« was written on the occasion of Beethoven‘s 250th anniversary and originally intended to premiere during the 2020 Dresden Music Festival. Now, it will have its belated world premiere in 2021 with the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra under the baton Kent Nagano and with soloists Mira Wang (violin), Jan Vogler (cello), and Daniel Ottensamer (clarinet).

»Planning in times of Covid-19 is a matter of attitude. As a significant classical music festival, the Dresden Music Festival holds great cultural and touristic responsibility. Together with our partners, we have put together an excellent program for 2021 – while taking the current hygiene regulations into account. Our festival team is highly flexible, and we will do everything we can to stimulate the cultural world and inspire personal dialogues through music,« Jan Vogler, Director of the Dresden Music Festival, said today in Dresden.

At the 44th Dresden Music Festival, world-renowned orchestras like the Vienna Philharmonic under Daniel Harding, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Fabio Luisi, or the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle meet the protagonists of the singer/songwriter, jazz, rock, and world music scenes. Senegalese world musician Pape Diouf celebrates his German debut at the Junge Garde, and American songwriter Aoife O'Donovan inaugurates the new festival format Music Lounge at the Löwensaal. In addition to jazz stars such as Till Brönner, Tom Schilling, and chanson singer Ute Lemper, the audience can look forward to celebrated soloists of the classical music world like pianist Emanuel Ax, trumpet player Sergei Nakariakov, singer Regula Mühlemann, violinist Gil Shaham, cellist Steven Isserlis, and pianist Rudolf Buchbinder. Daniele Gatti, who will reside in Dresden as Artist in Residence, will set new accents as conductor of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra with Shostakovich's 7th Symphony, and in a Schumann Cycle with the Dresden Festival Orchestra. For new music, the focus lies on American composers: Scottish percussionist Colin Currie and the Staatskapelle Weimar under Frank Strobel will give the German premiere of Danny Elfman's Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra. Furthermore, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Eric Jacobsen, performs John Adams »Harmonielehre«.

»The Dresden Music Festival is renowned around the world. This was also demonstrated by the great response to the Coronavirus-related replacement program ›Music Never Sleeps DMF‹ with over 220,000 viewers. The Dresden Music Festival contributes considerably to the reputation of Saxony as a ›land of culture‹. Many regional cultural actors are involved in addition to world-famous stars, making the festival a crucial facilitator for easily accessible cultural education,« says Barbara Klepsch, Saxony’s State Minister for Culture and Tourism.

»The Dresden Music Festival actively confronts the challenges the Coronavirus pandemic poses for the entire cultural sector. For this, I am immensely grateful to Jan Vogler and his team. Especially now, it is vital to establish cultural means for making high-class art with an enormous allure come alive,« says Dirk Hilbert, Mayor oft he State Capital City of Dresden. »The Dresden Music Festival is firmly anchored in the budget planning for the coming years as we have the strong cinviction that the festival intensely enriches Dresden and, at the same time, attracts guests from all over the world – even if perhaps more virtually than personally in the coming year.«

»We are particularly pleased to support the Dresden Music Festival as a premium partner. We are confident it will not only prove the need for musical and artistic dialogues but also reveal their power to give strength and confidence. They gift both the world-famous artists as well as the passionate and music-loving audience something that gives life the optimism it deserves,« said Andreas Rieger, spokesperson of the Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden.

»The Glashütte Original MusicFestivalAward annually honours an artist who not only moves an international audience with his or her music, but who has also invested a considerable amount of time and energy in support of young talent. As a manufactory rich in tradition, we know how important it is to pass on valuable knowledge to the next generation. For this reason we are proud to honour, year after year together with the Dresden Music Festival, musicians who devote themselves with passion and creativity to the success of talented emerging artists,« says Frank Kittel, Chief Financial Officer von Glashütte Original.

The Dresden Music Festival is an institution of the State Capital of Dresden co-financed by tax funding on the basis of the budget passed by the members of the Parliament of Saxony.

Ticket sales begin on November 2, 2020 (with seating limits according to the hygiene concept).

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»It is a very important time to support our younger colleagues, to encourage them and to mentor them. This year, as the ›Glashütte Original MusicFestivalAward‹ happens, I am happy to say it goes directly to young artists in the first phase of their career. I think it is a sign of hope and a sign of encouragement for them. We are saying: We want to hear you, to hear your voices, your interpretations, we want to work with you and witness the development of your projects and your dreams. It is a time when we embrace our community, and we help each other. I am extremely grateful, and I am very hopeful,« says Barbara Hannigan.

The »Glashütte Original MusicFestivalAward« honors contributions to the mediation and the youth development within the classical music scene. In 2020, the watchmaker company Glashütte Original is sponsoring this for the 17th time and awards it together with the Dresden Music Festival. The »Glashütte Original MusikFestspielPreis« is endowed with 25.000,00 EUR. The money is for a specific purpose.

Livestream-Festival with almost 60 artists on May 16th from 6 p.m. (CET)

The Dresden Music Festival will celebrate a 24-hour-Livestream-Festival under the motto »Music Never Sleeps DMF«. Next to Barbara Hannigan, almost 60 Festival Artists will stream short programs from their homes and rehearsal rooms all around the globe. Our audience also awaits various special surprises: the US-American Jazz singer China Moses composed a new song for the online version of the Dresden Music Festival and enriches the stream with a world premiere.

Start: 16th of May 2020, 6 p.m. (MET)

Hosts: Jan Vogler, Ute Lemper, Martin Brambach, and Katja Riemann

Artists: Fabio Luisi, Ute Lemper, Omer Meir Wellber, Mischa Maisky, James Ehnes, Martin Stadtfeld, Tiffany Poon, Boris Giltburg, Patricia Kopatchinska, Aoife O’Donavan, Pape Diouf, Jamie Cullum, Eldbjørg Hemsing & Sveinung Bjelland, Tan Dun, Santiago Canon Valencia, Anastasia Kobekina, Zlatomir Fung, New York Gypsy All-Stars, Simone Kermes & Gianluca Geremia, Avi Avital, José Cura, Nils Landgren & Thomas Steinfeld, Francesco Tristano, Duo Thomas Gansch & Georg Breinschmid, Lars Vogt, Valer Sabadus, Julian Pregardien, Omer Klein, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Martin Grubinger, Rufus Wainwright, Asya Fateyava & Stepan Simonian, Xavier Sabata & Dani Espasa, Robin Johanssen, Anneleen Lenaerts, Jarko Riihimäki, Ian Bostridge & Saskia Giorgini, China Moses, Renaud Capucon, Gautier Capucon, Francesco Piemontesi, Christina Pluhar, Hauschka, A. Tamestit, Julian Rachlin, Sir Bryn Terfel, Tamasz Palfalvi, Kimmo Pohjonen, Lise de la Salle, The Knights, Yaman Okur, L’Arpeggiata, The King’s Singers, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain and more.

Access: via the website and the Facebook channel of the Dresden Music Festival, the YouTube-page of MusicNeverSleepsNYC, the streaming platform Takt1.

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