Dresden’s Opera Chorus was founded in 1817 by Friedrich August III. This act was mainly due to the efforts of Carl Maria von Weber who, as the newly engaged music director, was charged with founding a German »Opera Department« in Dresden as a counterweight to Italian opera. Weber called for the creation of a »permanent theatre chorus« able to cope with the ever increasing demands of such a newly created operatic repertoire. The resulting Dresden Opera Chorus developed into a first-rate vocal ensemble with the help of such directors as Joseph Metzner, Karl Maria Pembaur, Hans-Dieter Pflüger and Matthias Brauer. Till today the chorus is recognised for its refined sound and the ability to sing a cultivated piano while not relinquishing vocal presence and depth. Pablo Assante has been the chorus director since 2009. <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Dresden+State+Opera+Chorus">Read more on Last.fm</a>. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.