On 23 and 24 October, the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York will host the opening concerts of a season dedicated to the 90th anniversary of composer Arvo Pärt. The performances will present some of Pärt’s most significant works to American audiences, interpreted by Estonia’s leading musicians. Alongside the birthday concerts, the programme includes visits to New York by Estonian President Alar Karis, Minister of Culture Heidy Purga and a creative industries delegation, as well as a gala dinner hosted by the Arvo Pärt Centre Foundation and a film screening.
The two concerts, devoted entirely to Pärt’s music, will feature the Estonian Festival Orchestra, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, and the Trinity Choir from the United States, conducted by Paavo Järvi and Tõnu Kaljuste, with violinists Hans Christian Aavik and Midori, pianist Nico Muhly and soprano Maria Listra. The programme spans nearly six decades of the composer’s work, including major pieces such as Credo, Adam’s Lament and the iconic Tabula Rasa, featuring Hans Christian Aavik and Midori as soloists. Other works include Swansong, Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten, Stabat Mater, Te Deum and L’abbé Agathon (soloist Maria Listra).
“It is quite extraordinary, and we are deeply grateful, that so much of Arvo Pärt’s music will be performed this season at Carnegie Hall – a venue of such symbolic significance for the entire music world – and that the opening concerts will be performed by Estonian ensembles,” said Anu Kivilo, Executive Director of the Arvo Pärt Centre. “Our collaboration with Carnegie Hall has been very smooth, and we owe special thanks to Madli-Liis Parts, Estonia’s cultural attaché in the United States, for her invaluable support in making this dream a reality.”
In addition to the composer’s concerts, the Arvo Pärt Centre, the Estonian Ministry of Culture and the Arvo Pärt Project will jointly present a special screening of Dorian Supin’s documentary Arvo Pärt: Even if I Lose Everything on 25 October at Scandinavia House in New York. The screening will be followed by a discussion featuring theologian and Pärt scholar Peter Bouteneff, composer David Lang and conductor Paavo Järvi.
“This is a dream come true for Estonian cultural diplomacy. It is hard to imagine a greater honour for Estonian culture than to present the creative genius of Arvo Pärt in New York, at Carnegie Hall,” said Estonia’s Ambassador to the United States, Kristjan Prikk. “And not only through two magnificent concerts in October, but throughout the 2025–2026 season, which celebrates both the 250th anniversary of the United States and Arvo Pärt’s 90th birthday.”
Coinciding with the Carnegie Hall events, President Alar Karis, Minister Heidy Purga and an Estonian creative industries delegation will visit New York. At the invitation of the Arvo Pärt Centre Foundation, cultural patrons from Estonia and the United States will also attend the concerts and a gala dinner, proceeds from which will support the Foundation’s mission to ensure the preservation and continuity of Arvo Pärt’s creative legacy.
Over the course of the season, Carnegie Hall will present a total of seven concerts dedicated to Pärt’s music. In December, violinist Gidon Kremer – a long-time collaborator and friend of the composer – will perform with cellist Giedrė Dirvanauskaitė and pianist Georgijs Osokins. The season also features performances of Pärt’s works by the Budapest Festival Orchestra under Iván Fischer, New York’s Ensemble Connect, and The Knights, among others.
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.