From the desk of PR2 agency in Dresden, Germany:
Dresden receives federal funding for the construction of a Richard Wagner Academy and the establishment of an international center of excellence for Romantic orchestral and opera practice
Dresden, September 25, 2024. The state capital of Dresden is receiving a grant of 15 million euros from the »KulturInvest« funding program of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media for the construction of the new Richard Wagner Academy of the Dresdner Musikfestspiele. The aim is to create an internationally oriented competence center for 19th century romantic orchestral and operatic practice. In addition to a concert hall with 600 seats, the new building on the Königsufer – opposite Dresden’s old town – will include an orchestra and choir rehearsal hall, workshop, archive and seminar rooms. The aim is to establish a place for training, research, performance and debate with global appeal on the banks of the Elbe, based on the 19th century tradition of world premieres in Dresden.
Jan Vogler (Artistic Director of the Dresdner Musikfestspiele) says:
I am delighted for the city of Dresden and the Dresden Music Festival about this generous support! A visionary meeting place for musicians, academics and the public, the Richard Wagner Academy Dresden, can now be built on the most beautiful site in Dresden. This decision inspires me to continue to invest all my energy in the cultural charisma of Dresden as one of the world’s leading cities of music .
Dresden’s Lord Mayor Dirk Hilbert says:
We are very pleased about the decision from Berlin and the enormous amount of the proposed funding. Of course, we will now enter into talks with the Free State of Saxony, without which overall funding is not possible. In view of our own challenges, we need to act with courage and foresight. From an urban development perspective, this decision could be an outstanding milestone for the Königsufer.
With »The Wagner Cycles« project, the Dresdner Musikfestspiele has revolutionized the performance practice of Richard Wagner’s music in a short space of time. Richard Wagner’s Der Ring der Nibelungen will be scientifically reworked from 2023 to 2026. This historically informed approach is now being given a permanent home in order to make the global demand for the findings available for practical use, to develop them further and to work on them practically with artists in workshops and academy formats. The development of the Königsufer for cultural purposes has been planned in Dresden for some time and is now taking on a concrete form.
The Dresdner Musikfestspiele was founded in 1978 by the city of Dresden and, under the directorship of cellist Jan Vogler since 2009, has developed into one of the most successful and modern festivals in Europe. The festival’s spectrum ranges from guest performances by top international orchestras and soloists as well as leading artists from world music, jazz, crossover and rock to appearances by Hollywood star Bill Murray and blues legend Eric Clapton.
