14 May - 12 June 2021, Dresden, Germany
About the Dresden Music Festival
The Dresden Music Festival is one of the largest and most highly acclaimed classical music festivals in Europe, presenting a high-level program of extraordinary density and variety every May and June.
Programming
In 2021, the festival program's focus lies more than ever on genre diversity and internationality. 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 and American songwriter Aoife O'Donovan inaugurates the new festival format Music Lounge. In addition to jazz stars such as T. Brönner, T. Schilling, and chanson singer U. Lemper, the audience can look forward to celebrated soloists of the classical music world like pianist E. Ax, trumpet player S. Nakariakov, singer R. Mühlemann, violinist G. Shaham, cellist S. Isserlis, and pianist R. Buchbinder.
How to get there
Dresden is easily accessible by a number of cities by plane, train or car. The closest airport to Dresden is the International Airport Dresden. Line S2 runs every half hour from the airport to the main stations: Dresden-Neustadt and Dresden Hauptbahnhof. The journey to Dresden Hauptbahnhof takes 21 minutes, Dresden-Neustadt station can be reached in 14 minutes. Numerous streetcar and bus lines go from the stations into the city.
Local accommodation
You can find many beautiful hotels next to the venues in the city of Dresden, such as Motel One, Vienna House QF, Hyperion, Suitess… In May and June it is advisable to book in advance, as many guests stay in Dresden, especially during the weekends.
What can tourists visit nearby?
The baroque old town of Dresden is filled with historical gems on every corner. Tourists can visit Frauenkirche, Residenzschloss, Zwinger, Semperoper, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen (State Art Collections), and in the surrounding area Schloss Pillnitz, Schloss Moritzburg, Saxon Swizerland.
What are the venues like?
The festival takes place at more than 20 performance venues in and around Dresden, ranging from famous historical buildings such as the Semperoper and Frauenkirche, to the fantastic new concert hall at the Kulturpalast. The festival also takes place at a vineyard in Wackerbarth, a castle in Pillnitz, and a few exciting modern venues like the University of Dresden, the Reithalle (industrial architecture) or the brand new Löwensaal which was once a bank counter hall.
Dress code
No official dress code.
Food & Drink
Intermission refreshments are available in most of the venues. The city centre is full of excellent restaurants with gastronomic offering. Normally you do not need to book in advance.
Why should someone come to your festival?
The Dresden Music Festival offers a high-carat program with fantastic internationally celebrated artists, visionary projects and a great artistic variety. Besides this Dresden is a very beautiful city, especially in the summer, and offers a great cultural tradition, famous museums and exhibitions, as well as beautiful architecture. During the Dresden Music Festival there is music everywhere in the city!
