On 27 October 2020, the Hermitage Theatre was the venue for a special performance of the ballet The Nutcracker for children with special needs. The event was part of the fifth anniversary of the charitable inter-museum project “I see music” that is organized by the Saint Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music.
The ”I see music” project was born in 2015, in the Rimsky-Korsakov Apartment Museum, and operates with the support of the city’s Culture Committee. In the five years of its existence, some of Saint Petersburg’s finest musicians, chamber ensembles and symphony orchestras have participated in it. This year, thanks to the support of the State Hermitage, the culmination of the season became The Nutcracker – Tchaikovsky’s most magical, fairy-tale ballet – performed by the Olympic Symphony Orchestra and the Saint Petersburg Festival Ballet theatre.
For some of the children with special needs attending, this was the first time in their lives that they had been to a real theatre and a real ballet performance. At the end of the evening, the festive atmosphere was further enhanced by gifts presented to the children by the charity Umka. At a time of a difficult public health situation and various restrictions, this fabulous evening of ballet was particularly important for the children and members of their families.
