The idea of The Dresden Soul Symphony came from Reinhard Bärenz, the musical director of the German radio station MDR Sputnik.
Bärenz had some experience with classical music – he played the violin professionally in a symphony orchestra in the 1980s.
He sought for the support of Johann Michael Möller, the radio director of the MDR who was enthusiastic about Bärenz's idea.
The show took place on April 26 and 27, 2008 at 08:00 pm (CET) in the concert hall Alter Schlachthof in Dresden, Germany.
Both a CD and DVD were released in October 2008. plusz-magazin, issue date: April 24, 2008; page 2 / 3