The Dresden Music Festival is an annual music festival which takes place in Dresden, Germany in May and June. Although classical music, including contemporary classical music, forms the core of its performances, world music, jazz, and dance are also presented. One of its hallmarks is that the choice of repertoire is built on a specific theme which changes each year. The festival was established by government decree in 1978 when Dresden was still part of the German Democratic Republic. The German cellist Jan Vogler has been its artistic director since 2009.