Staatskapelle Dresden Biography
The Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden (German pronunciation: [ˈzɛksɪʃə ˈʃtaːtskaˌpɛlə ˈdʁeːsdn̩]), or Saxon State Orchestra Dresden, is one of the oldest orchestras in the world, created by order of Maurice, Elector of Saxony in 1548. Under communist East Germany and until 1992 it was called Staatskapelle Dresden; an earlier name was Kurfürstlich-Sächsische und Königlich-Polnische Kapelle, or Electoral Saxon and Royal Polish Orchestra. It is a constituent body of the Semper Opera House, along with two choruses and a ballet troupe, where it plays in the pit for opera and on a platform for its own concert series.
