Arvo and Nora Pärt, along with the Arvo Pärt Centre team, are commemorating Thomas Daniel Schlee, an Austrian composer, organist and musical figure (26/10/1957 – 10/11/2025).
Schlee first met Pärt in the 1980s through his father, Alfred Schlee, who ran the Universal Edition music publishing house in Vienna. At this time, the Pärt family had just been forced to leave their homeland and emigrate to the West, and Alfred Schlee became one of the composer’s greatest supporters.
Schlee directed several musical organisations and was the artistic director of various music festivals; he also helped disseminate Pärt’s music.
In 2007, Arvo Pärt composed a musical greeting for Thomas Daniel Schlee’s birthday. This was published in the book Gratefully. Heartfelt. With Love. Musical Greetings from Arvo Pärt.
In February 2020, Thomas Daniel Schlee visited the Arvo Pärt Centre, where he enjoyed a heartwarming reunion with Arvo and Nora Pärt. He also shared his memories with the centre’s archive.
In the picture: Thomas Daniel Schlee, Lorenz Schlee, Nora Pärt, Arvo Pärt and Michael Pärt at the Arvo Pärt Centre.