Following the recent UK premiere of his Symphony No 4 ("Los Angeles") at the Proms, Arvo Pärt's 75th birthday celebrations continue with a two-day conference on 24-25 September hosted at London's Southbank Centre. Presented in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Music, with the composer in residence, academics from the UK, USA and Canada will give a total of 13 papers on various aspects of Pärt's music over the two days.
Long-standing Pärt collaborators The Hilliard Ensemble are set to enliven proceedings with a daytime performance on the Friday (before giving the world premiere of Matteo D'Amico's Flight from Byzantium in the Royal Festival Hall that evening), while the Royal Academy of Music's Tyburn Quartet perform some of Pärt's music for strings on the Saturday.
One of the most distinctive and original voices in contemporary music, Arvo Pärt was born in Paide, Estonia, exactly 75 years ago today. Many happy returns, Mr Pärt.
- For further details visit the Southbank Centre's website