At a ceremony held yesterday at Vabamu, Minister of Culture Heidy Purga presented the Friend of Culture 2025 awards, recognising businesses and benefactors who have contributed to the cultural sector. The Arvo Pärt Centre and its endowment extend their heartfelt thanks and congratulations to their supporters, the software company Proekspert and American composer and conductor Blake Neely, who were both honoured with the Friend of Culture award.
Proekspert has been a major supporter of the Arvo Pärt Centre since 2025, contributing through pro bono development work to renew and migrate the centre’s archival database – the Arvo Pärt Information System (APIS), which has been in use for 12 years – to a modern platform. The database brings together archival materials related to Arvo Pärt, with nearly 11,000 items catalogued to date. Its users include musicians, musicologists, educational institutions, historians, theologians and concert organisations around the world.
“It is exceptional for a company in the IT sector to be willing to invest so much time and resources in pro bono development work. APIS is the core tool of our archive and of invaluable importance to us,” said Anu Kivilo, Director of the Arvo Pärt Centre. The award was accepted on behalf of Proekspert by CEO Marco Spielmann.
American composer and conductor Blake Neely has supported both the Arvo Pärt Centre and its endowment. He received the Friend of Culture award in recognition of his contribution to the proceeds of the Arvo Pärt Centre Endowment’s charity dinner, held last October at Carnegie Hall in New York. In addition, Neely is an engaged partner and advisor to the endowment in the field of philanthropy. The award on his behalf was accepted by Michael Pärt, Director of the Endowment.
This year, the Estonian Ministry of Culture received 42 nominations for the awards. The title of Friend of Culture of the Year was awarded to AS Merko Ehitus, the Jaan Tõnisson Postimees Foundation and Tiit Pruuli. The Cultural Organiser of the Year award went to Julia Savitskaja, founder and organiser of the Narva Opera Festival.
The Friend of Culture selection committee was chaired by Secretary-General Merilin Piipuu. In addition to representatives of the Ministry of Culture, the committee included Mari-Liis Rebane, Cultural Organiser of the Year 2024; Liina Vahtras, board member of the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency; Mait Rõõmusaar, Friend of Culture of the Year 2024; and Mait Palts, Director-General of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Ministry of Culture has been recognising organisations and individuals contributing to the cultural sector since 2011.
Photos by Rasmus Kooskora