St.Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music is located in the building of the former Imperial Theatres Management, erected in the 1st half of the 19 century by the great architect Carlo Rossi. This building remains one of the principal exhibits of the museum. The exhibit that has preserved its austere splendour and organic liaison with the theatre life of the country for more than 150 years. The facade windows of the museum overlook Alexandrinsky Theatre - the centre of the architectural ensemble, created by Rossi for the sake of theatre. The mission of our museum is to preserve and revive theatrical legends for every visitor.

    In the museum and its branches (the N.A.Rimsky-Korsakov Museum, the F.I.Chaliapin Museum, the Samoilov Family Museum, the Museum of Music in the Sheremetev Palace) you can see portraits of famous theatre men of the past, theatre designs by well-known artists, posters, manuscripts, theatre props, set models - everything that will help you to imagine the legendary drama and musical productions which no longer exist. Among the most significant personalities of the museum's collection - directors Vs.Meyerhold and A.Tairov, actresses M.Savina and V.Komissarjevskaya, artists A.Benois and L.Bakst, K.Malevich and V.Tatlin, composers N.Rimsky-Korsakov and D.Shostakovich, singer F.Chaliapin, ballet masters M.Fokine and F.Lopukhov, dancers V.Nijinsky and M.Baryshnikov, A.Pavlova and G.Ulanova - to name but a few. Here there are also private belongings of great composers, singers, actors enabling to reconstruct the atmosphere, in which they lived and created. The unique collection of videotapes gives a chance to meet actors of other countries. The Museum of Music in the Sheremetev Palace preserves the memory about theatrical and musical traditions of the celebrated noble family of Sheremetev. Here one of the world's biggest collections of musical instruments is also located.

    In all the buildings of the museum there are halls where concerts and performances, meetings with famous actors and singers, musicians and artists, take place. Our museum's aim is to connect the past and the present. The museum not only preserves the memory of the old art, but also is a hospitable house for the modern art and probably a cradle for the art of the future. Non-surprisingly, a considerable number of productions, subsequently famous, were first presented here, and many future celebrities made their debut here.

    The Museum of Theatre and Music and its branches know all about Russian Theatre