On August 31, 2019, the first Dresden Opera Ball was held in St. Petersburg, which became one of the largest cultural events in Russia’s second largest city. The ball is scheduled to be held annually, the next Ball is scheduled for September 4, 2021.
The main idea of the Ball is to become a real embodiment of the strengthening of cultural bridges between Russia and Germany and between the sister cities of St. Petersburg and Dresden.
The event was widely covered by media, including TV channels NTV (Russia), MDR (Germany), 3Sat (Austria, Switzerland). The total amount of guests from Russia and Europe was around 1,000. The event was held at three venues: the Mikhailovsky Theater, the Grand Philarmonic Hall and the open-air stage in the Art Square, where there was a live broadcast from the theater and the concert hall on a big screen.
The Ball in the Mikhailovsky Theater was opened with a video message from the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, who wished the ball a long and successful life.
The stars of the world classical stage Nadia Michael, Stephen Gould, Albina Shagimuratova, Vasily Ladyuk, Sergey Roldugin and Igor Butmanaccompanied by Mikhailovsky Theatre orchestra and choir led by conductor Massimo Zanetti, took part in the event in Mikhailovsky Theater. The music part in the Philharmonic Hall was presented by the legendary Dschinghis Khan group celebrating its 40th anniversary, singer Emin, Igor Butman and his Big Band, as well as the ensemble of the Dresden chapel Semper Strings.