Kaljuste opens Pärt Days with music by Pärt and Bach
Tuesday 1st September 2026 on 13:01 in
Estonia
Arvo Pärt’s music will be performed alongside Johann Sebastian Bach’s works at the opening concert of Pärt Days, conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste, ERR reported.
The festival begins on September 2 and will bring concerts to Tallinn, Tartu, Narva, Paide, Rakvere and other cities across Estonia. Running from September 2 to 11, the festival will explore different aspects of Pärt’s work, place it alongside music from other periods and create dialogues with other composers.
Musicians and ensembles from Estonia and abroad who have worked closely with Arvo Pärt will take part. The opening concert in Tallinn will feature the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and the Cambridge-based British orchestra Academy of Ancient Music.
The orchestra, which has operated for more than 50 years, was established to perform 18th and 19th-century music on period instruments. It also commissions new works from contemporary composers and performs and records modern repertoire. Founded by renowned harpsichordist Christopher Hogwood, the orchestra is currently led by harpsichordist, organist and conductor Laurence Cummings.
Other performers include the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Hortus Musicus, Vox Clamantis, Trio ’95, violinist Hans Christian Aavik, accordionist Momir Novakovic, mezzo-soprano Aule Urb and soprano Maria Listra. Conductors include Tõnu Kaljuste, Jaan-Eik Tulve, Andres Mustonen and Kaspar Mänd.
Classical Radio will broadcast the Tallinn concerts live.
On September 11, as part of Pärt’s birthday month, Ukuaru Music House will host a lecture by Toomas Siitan titled “Arvo Pärt: Music from Silence” and the concert “Pärt and Mustonen”. Film evenings titled “Pärt and Film” will take place at the Arvo Pärt Centre in Laulasmaa from September 25 to 27.