On 12 September 2005 the State Hermitage Museum opened the new 2005-2006 season of its Friends of the Hermitage Club.

The State Hermitage Museum was the very first to organise a museum Friends’ society in Russia. The creation of the Hermitage Friends’ Club was announced by Prof. Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum, in November 1996. The Hermitage Friends’ Club is one of the development programs of the State Hermitage, supporting the Museum in many projects relating to restoration, reconstruction, education, academic research and purchase of new exhibits. It was organised in order to bring together both individuals and corporations that have special attitude towards the Hermitage, to give them an opportunity to participate in the life of this great museum, and to unite and further develop the efforts of all Hermitage Friends’ Organisations around the world. During the season (autumn - spring) Individual and Corporate Friends are invited to special events organised exclusively for the Hermitage Club members.

The New Season in the Hermitage Friends’ Club was started with the Presentation of the State Hermitage Museum Orchestra. The State Hermitage Orchestra was founded in 1989 by the outstanding conductor, professor Saulus Sondeckis. This orchestra was named St. Petersburg Camerata. On 14th February 1994 the orchestra was granted the unique status of the State Hermitage Orchestra. Since its creation the Orchestra has given over 1,200 concerts and recorded over 30 CDs, some of them at the Sony Classical. It has performed in the best concert halls in Russia and abroad, and collaborated with many outstanding musicians and conductors.

Program of the evening on 12th September was including a concert in one of the most beautiful halls of the New Hermitage - the Large Italian Skylight Hall. The guests was heard musical pieces by Ludwig van Beethoven and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartoldi. The conductor, Eisuke Fujino (Japan), is the principal guest conductor of the State Hermitage Orchestra. Collaboration with him has already lasted for about ten years. He participates in various projects of the Hermitage Music Academy Program and organises tours of the orchestra in Japan.

Sergey Evtushenko, director of Hermitage Music Academy Foundation, director of the Hermitage Orchestra, author of numerous musical plays for piano, orchestra, choir, film music (soundtracks for two films of Alexander Sokurov), introduced the Hermitage Orchestra to the Friends and spoke about the concert program of the Hermitage Music Academy for the new season.

Vladimir Matveyev, Deputy Director of the State Hermitage Museum, is greeting guests

State Hermitage Museum Orchestra

Concert in the Large Italian Skylight Hall, New Hermitage