On 18 December 2020, members of staff from the Hermitage’s School Centre conveyed the museum’s best wishes for the coming New Year to pupils of Saint Petersburg schools No 370, 34, 33 and 522 for children with health-related disabilities.
For 30 years now, pupils from those schools have been visiting the Hermitage regularly as part of special programmes. The New Year performances that they themselves gave on the stage of the Hermitage Theatre throughout that time have been an important, happy occasion in their lives.
Despite the restrictions caused by the pandemic, the celebrations still took place this year, but at the schools. The staff of the School Centre brought the children presents that had been provided by representatives of the Saint Petersburg law firm Baker & McKenzie.
The teachers and pupils are grateful that the event did happen. With their own pictures and theatrical performances recorded on video, they expressed their best wishes for the New Year to the Hermitage staff and representatives of Baker & McKenzie.