Honorary degrees and awards – Arvo Pärt Centre

Honorary Doctorates

1989 – Estonian Academy of Music
1996 – University of Sydney, Australia
1998 – University of Tartu, Estonia
2002 – University of Durham, United Kingdom
2003 – National University of General San Martín, School of Humanities, Argentina
2007 – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Theology, Germany
2009 – University of Liège, Belgium
2010 – University of St Andrews, United Kingdom
2011 – Pontifical Institute for Sacred Music, Vatican
2012 – University of Lugano, Faculty of Theology, Switzerland
2014 – St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, USA
2016 – University of Oxford, United Kingdom
2018 – Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, Poland

Honorary Memberships

1991 – Royal Swedish Academy of Music, Stockholm, Sweden
1996 – American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York, USA
2001 – Royal Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium
2003 – Royal School of Church Music, Salisbury, United Kingdom
2004 – Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Rome, Italy
2014 – International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM)
2019 – Autism Foundation, I Support a Special Life, Estonia
2022 – Estonia Society, Estonia

Memberships

2009 – Foreign member of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
2011 – Member of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Vatican
2011 – Member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, Academician for Music, Tallinn, Estonia

Grammy Nominations

1989 – Passio – Best Contemporary Composition (ECM New Series 1370)
1991 – Miserere – Best Contemporary Composition (ECM New Series1430)
1994 – Te Deum – Best Performance of a Choral Work (ECM New Series 1505)
1998 – Kanon Pokajanen – Best Classical Contemporary Composition (ECM New Series 1654/55)
2002 – Orient & Occident – Best Classical Contemporary Composition (ECM New Series 1795)
2002 – Orient & Occident – Best Classical Album (ECM New Series 1795)
2006 – Da Pacem – Best Choral Performance (Harmonia Mundi HMU 097401)
2009 – In Principio – Best Classical Contemporary Composition (ECM New Series 2050)
2010 – Symphony No. 4 – Best Classical Contemporary Composition (ECM New Series 2160)
2013 – Adam’s Lament – Best Contemporary Classical Composition (ECM New Series 2225)
2013 – Adam’s Lament – Best Choral Performance (ECM New Series 2225)

* Twice albums with Arvo Pärt’s music have received a Grammy Award:

2007 – Da Pacem – Paul Hillier, conductor (Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir; Harmonia Mundi HMU 097401) for the Best Choral Performance
2014 – Adam’s Lament – Tõnu Kaljuste, conductor (Sinfonietta Riga, Latvian Radio Choir, Vox Clamantis, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, soloists Tui Hirv and Rainer Vilu; ECM New Series 2225) for the Best Choral Performance

Other awards, decorations

1962 – First Prize for cantata “Our Garden”, Composers Forum Moscow, Russia
1978 – Estonian SSR annual music award for “Tabula rasa”
1981 – DAAD fellowship (German Academic Exchange Service), Berlin, Germany
1989 – Edison Classical Music Award for CD “Passio” (ECM New Series 1370)
1995 – Honorary Citizen of Rakvere, Estonia
1997 – Independent Russian Arts Award “Triumph”, Moscow, Russia
1998 – Culture Award of the Republic of Estonia
1998 – Order of the National Coat of Arms, 2nd class, Estonia
2000 – Herder Prize, Germany
2001 – Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters of the French Republic
2002 – Annual Award of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia
2003 – C. A. Seghizzi Composition Award for choral work, Gorizia, Italy
2003 – Honorary title “Borderlander” given by the Borderland Foundation, Sejny, Poland
2003 – Classic BRIT Award – Contemporary Music Award for “Orient & Occident”, United Kingdom
2005 – Composer of the Year, Musical America, USA
2005 – European Church Music Prize, Germany
2005 – Order of Most Reverend Sergius of Radonezh, 2nd degree, Russia
2006 – Order of the National Coat of Arms, 1st class, Estonia
2007 – International Prize “Baltic Star”, St Petersburg, Russia
2007 – International Brückepreis Award of the European City of Görlitz / Zgorzelec
2008 – Léonie Sonning Music Prize, Denmark
2008 – Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art First Class
2009 – Lifelong Achievement Award of the Republic of Estonia
2009 – Honorary Citizen of Paide, Estonia
2010 – Lifetime Achievement Award of 38th International Istanbul Music Festival
2010 – Baltic Image Enhancement Award, USA
2010 – Coat of Arms of Lääne-Viru County, Estonia
2011 – Homage to Arvo Pärt by Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Germany
2011 – Coat of Arms of Tallinn
2011 – Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour, France
2011 – Classic Brit Award – Composer of the Year for Symphony No. 4, United Kingdom
2012 – Prize of the International Festival Cervantino, Mexico
2012 – Estonian Music Council Composition Award
2013 – Order of St Anthony and St Theodosius of Pechersk, 2nd degree, Ukraine
2013 – Orlando-di-Lasso-Medaille, Germany
2013 – Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
2014 – Lifetime achievement award by the Estonian American National Council, USA
2014 – Praemium Imperiale, Japan
2015 – Coat of Arms of Järva County, Estonia
2015 – Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Cross of Merit, 1st class
2015 – Austrian Decoration for Science and Art
2015 – Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) Lifetime Achievement Award, Estonia
2016 – Annual award of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia for outstanding contributions to the musical culture of the world in 2015
2016 – Honorary Citizen of Keila Parish, Estonia
2016 – Medal of the Pontifical Council for Culture “Per Arte ad Deum”, Poland
2016 – Cultural Merit Order of Romania in the Category of Music
2017 – Edison Classical Music Award for the best choral performance – album “Kanon Pokajanen”(Harmonia Mundi HMC 905274), Netherlands
2017 – Ratzinger Prize, Vatican
2017 – Honoured Artist of Music, International Association of People in Music, Russia
2018 – Commander in the Order of Orange-Nassau, Netherlands
2018 – Golden Medal for Merit to Culture — Gloria Artis, Poland
2019 – Honorary Citizen of Harju County, Estonia
2019 – SMR (Semana de Música Religiosa de Cuenca) Honorific Award, Spain
2019 – The German Music Authors’ Prize
2019 – Cross of Recognition 2nd Class (Grand Officer), Latvia
2020 – Frontiers of Knowledge Award, BBVA Foundation, Spain
2021 – Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
2022 – Officer grade of the Order of the Oak Crown of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
2022 – Cross of Merit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, First Class, Estonia
2023 – Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star, Sweden
2023 – Polar Music Prize, Sweden
2024 – Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal, Great Britain