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Arvo Pärt: Goethe Medal, Pärt Days, and More

Sep. 30, 2026

In late August, Arvo Pärt was awarded the prestigious Goethe Medal in Weimar in recognition of his outstanding musical work and contribution to cultural dialogue. The award was presented by Goethe-Institut President Gesche Joost at a formal awards ceremony at Weimarhalle and accepted on behalf of Arvo Pärt by his son, Michael Pärt, Chairman of the Board of the Arvo Pärt Centre. At the ceremony, Joost emphasised the exceptional courage shown by all the laureates in their lives and creative work, as well as their unwavering belief in the possibility of the impossible.

“With his tintinnabuli compositional technique, Arvo Pärt has succeeded in touching and connecting people all over the world. With music that seems so simple in its essence and yet is so profound. Pärt has never ceased to believe in the possibility of the impossible: that music can be something more, creating a space for humanity,” Joost said. Read more here.

The music of Arvo Pärt, who recently celebrated his 91st birthday on September 11, was featured at the Pärt Days of the Nargen Festival in Estonia last month. Looking ahead to February 2027, the renowned Festival Présences by Radio France will devote its 37th edition, from February 2-7, to Arvo Pärt. The program will feature many of Pärt's works including Tabula rasa, Fratres, Cantus and Für Alina, alongside other compositions from his extensive oeuvre. More recent choral works such as Kleine Litanei further demonstrate the enduring power and concentration of his musical language.


Ji-Yoon Park, Marc Desmons, and the Orchestre Philharmonique perform
Arvo Pärt's Tabula rasa under the direction de Kristiina Poska

To learn more about Arvo Pärt, visit universaledition.com.

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