(© Semperoper Dresden/Matthias Creutziger)

The Semperoper Dresden has announced that it will remain closed until June 2021.

The opera house canceled the rest of its regular season in January 2021 and expressed its wish to present an alternative program that could run from April until July 2021. Rehearsals for Richard Strauss‘ “Capriccio” are currently underway.

German Parliament adopted changes to the Infection Protection Act on April 23, giving Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet the power to impose tougher nationwide measures against COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. The lockdown will be imposed on all regions that cross a seven-day incidence above 100 for three consecutive days.

Cultural venues and leisure facilities must stay closed until the seven-day incidence rate drops below 100 for five consecutive days. The new legislation thus weighs heavily on any prospective reopening of theaters and opera houses in Germany.

The current seven-day incidence in Dresden stands at 139.7.