News

This weekend, Estonia welcomes the legendary French filmmaker and writer Bruno Monsaingeon, creator of approximately a hundred music films. His visit centres on attending the Estonian premiere of his newly completed music documentary, Klaus Mäkelä: Towards the Flame, on 28 April at the Arvo Pärt Centre.

This year, the Arvo Pärt Centre is awarding two scholarships for creative work at the Arvo Pärt Centre. The recipients of the Arvo Pärt Centre scholarship in 2024 are French composer Benoît Sitzia and Spanish poet Elena Medel.

Hearty congratulations from the Arvo Pärt Centre to our long-time patron Epp Sonin who was awarded the title Friend of Culture 2023.

After eight years of creative searching, Arvo Pärt finally found a way to compose music again in early 1976. In a way, the Hortus Musicus concert in October 1976 can be considered the culmination of this long and challenging crisis, where Pärt’s new tintinnabuli style was heard for the first time in a set of works performed in the Estonia Concert Hall.

From 15 to 18 February, the festival “Zeitinsel Arvo Pärt”, dedicated to Arvo Pärt’s oeuvre, will take place at the Dortmund Concert Hall. During the festival, visitors can explore an exhibition created by the Arvo Pärt Centre and participate in a discussion on themes around Pärt and his work. “Zeitinsel Arvo Pärt” will feature several acclaimed performers of Pärt’s music, including violinists Gidon Kremer and Hugo Ticciati, as well as cellist Anja Lechner, the West German Radio (WDR) Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kristiina Poska, and Tõnu Kaljuste conducting the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Estonia’s premier ensembles.

On Saturday, 13 January, the versatile American artist and musician Laurie Anderson visited the Arvo Pärt Centre. A long-time admirer of Pärt’s work, Anderson showed a deep fascination with the composer’s creative process.

With the concert “A Distant Land” / “Kauge maa” on 13 January we celebrate the 102nd birthday of composer Ester Mägi together with musicians from the other side of the globe. The Mägi Ensemble is a professional SA vocal ensemble that specializes in music from the Baltic region of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Their aim

In 2024, the Arvo Pärt Centre is awarding two residency scholarships aimed at providing artists the perfect environment to further their creative practice. This year, one scholarship will be awarded to an artist from the world of music and the other to a creative person working in any other field of art. The application round this year will open on 9 January. The deadline for applications is 29 February

Conversations with Arvo and Nora Pärt reveal the rich history and context of the composer’s works. When combined with archival research, these may also occasionally result in exciting discoveries. Earlier this year, a discussion at the Arvo Pärt Centre focused on the creation of the piece Annum per annum. Read the story by Ardo Västrik.

On 10 November, acclaimed record label ECM released Arvo Pärt’s latest original album, Tractus. The album features performances of the composer’s most recent work by the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, and soprano Maria Listra. Tractus includes new arrangements and recordings performed under the direction of conductor Tõnu Kaljuste. This new release marks Arvo Pärt’s seventeenth album in his longstanding collaboration with legendary ECM producer Manfred Eicher.

Tähe-Lee Liiv, an exceptional young pianist, is set to release her debut album featuring Arvo Pärt’s complete piano works on 11 November. The music recorded on this silver disc spans over half a century, composed or adapted for the piano from 1958 to 2010.

Today, on September 11, composer Arvo Pärt celebrates his 88th birthday. The entire team of the Arvo Pärt Centre wishes the composer happiness, health and continued joy! As part of the Pärt Days, a traditional birthday concert will take place at St John's Church in Tallinn at 7 pm, featuring the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and Maria Listra (soprano), conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste. The concert will feature exclusively Arvo Pärt's works, which have been included in the soon-to-be-released album Tractus (ECM).