It’s Saturday night. You and your friends have been to the 20th party this weekend and have had enough of Iowa State culture to last a lifetime. You thirst for something different, something more fulfilling, something other than cold brews.

If this sounds all too familiar, then get yourself to Stephens Auditorium this Sunday at 7:30 p.m. for the Dresden Staatskapelle Orchestra presented by the Ames International Orchestra Festival Association (AIOFA).

The Dresden Staatskapelle was founded in 1548 and is one of the world’s most distinguished orchestras. Dresden itself, one of the great cultural centers of Europe, carries a special tradition to be proud of.

Under the direction of Giuseppe Sinopoli, this orchestra will be making its 1996 coast-to-coast United States tour with Ames on the list. Robert Maxham, executive director of AIOFA, said that our city is lucky to have a musical ensemble of such high caliber come through town.

Because of the expense of travel, smaller cities rarely get such a chance. “Most orchestras haven’t been touring the Midwest,” he added.

Many have been associated with the orchestra, including Heinrich Schultz (who led the group in the premiere of the first German opera), Carl Maria von Weber, Richard Wagner, Richard Strauss, Ferruccio Busoni, Paul Hindermith and Kurt Weill.

By the early 18th Century, the Dresden Staatskapelle was the continent’s foremost ensemble. Beethoven once said, “It is generally said that the orchestra in Dresden is the best in Europe,” while Jean Jacques Rousseau considered the group to be “the most complete and best ordered ensemble” of the day.

This will be The Dresden Staatskapelle’s second United States tour under the guidance of Music Director Guiseppe Sinopoli. Sinopoli began his tenure as music director of the Dresden Staatskapelle in 1992, and has received a lot of attention and praise for his performances with the orchestra in Germany and on the European and Far Eastern tour. “He is a charismatic, young conductor,” Maxham added.

During their first United States tour together in April of 1994, USA Today said, “What a glorious orchestra it is. It has an immediately identifiable sound … a tangy vibrato in the brass instruments plus the plush, silky but incredibly focused string sound that never obscures details.”

Maxham added that ISU students especially should enjoy the concert. “I think no matter how high of an adrenaline you felt this weekend, this will be the adrenaline high of a lifetime,” he said. “You can have fun and make your parents proud. This is something you can write home about from Veishea.”

Before the concert, the Ames International Orchestra Festival Association Guild will be holding its customary Overture Dinner in the Scheman Building on that ole’ cultural ISU campus, (Iowa State Center).

The meal, featuring German cuisine, will begin with a hospitality hour at 5:30 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6 p.m. with a choral performance following. The tickets for the overture dinner are $14. For more information on the dinner, call the AIOFA office at 294-3213.

Showtime on Sunday is 7:30 p.m. Student tickets cost $6 and are available at the Iowa State Center Box Office only, starting at 5:30 p.m. until showtime.

Tickets can also be purchased at the Iowa State Center Box Office or by at all Ticketmaster outlets. For more information on the planned activities, contact the AIOFA office at 294-3213.