Carnegie Hall in New York, one of the world’s most renowned concert venues, announced its programme for the 2025-2026 season on 12 February, with the works of Arvo Pärt taking centre stage in honour of his 90th birthday this year. The programme has been developed in close collaboration with the Arvo Pärt Centre.
Throughout the season, Carnegie Hall will present seven concerts dedicated to Pärt’s music, including two devoted exclusively to his compositions. The performances will showcase some of the world’s most esteemed musicians, including violinists Gidon Kremer and Midori, the Estonian Festival Orchestra, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and the Budapest Festival Orchestra under the direction of Iván Fischer, among others.
“Carnegie Hall first approached us with the idea of appointing Arvo Pärt as the season’s featured composer three years ago, and since then, we have been closely involved in shaping the programme and selecting the performers. We are especially delighted that some of Estonia’s finest ensembles will once again have the opportunity to present themselves on this prestigious stage to an international audience,” said Anu Kivilo, Managing Director of the Arvo Pärt Centre.
On 23 and 24 October, conductors Paavo Järvi and Tõnu Kaljuste and Estonia’s foremost ensembles, the Estonian Festival Orchestra, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, will present two concerts dedicated to Pärt’s music. They will be joined by violinists Midori and Hans Christian Aavik, soprano Maria Listra and pianist Nico Muhly. The programme spans nearly six decades of Pärt’s work, from the orchestral piece Perpetuum mobile (1960s) and the pivotal Credo to later masterpieces such as Adam’s Lament, La Sindone, and Swansong. Other works on the programme include Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten, Tabula rasa, L’abbé Agathon, Stabat Mater, and Te Deum.
On 4 December, violinist Gidon Kremer – one of Pärt’s longtime interpreters – will take the stage to celebrate the composer’s jubilee alongside cellist Giedrė Dirvanauskaitė and pianist Georgijs Osokins. Their programme will feature Für Alina, Fratres, and Mozart-Adagio.
“Arvo Pärt’s music has left an indelible mark not only on Estonian culture but on the global cultural landscape, too. His unique musical world has touched millions, and Carnegie Hall’s dedication of an entire season to his work is a profound recognition of his artistic greatness and timelessness,” said Madli-Liis Parts, Cultural Attaché of Estonia in the United States.
Pärt’s music has been performed at Carnegie Hall nearly 80 times over the years, with the first concert taking place in 1967 when the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Lukas Foss, performed Perpetuum mobile. According to the programme notes from that concert, this was not only the first performance of the piece in the United States but also the first-ever performance of one of Pärt’s works in the Western Hemisphere.