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90 Years of Arvo Pärt – Presented by Music at Oxford
11 November 2025 to 16 November 2025
About 90 Years of Arvo Pärt – Presented by Music at Oxford
Celebrate the extraordinary legacy of one of the world’s most influential living composers with 90 Years of Arvo Pärt, a six-day festival taking place from Tuesday 11 November to Sunday 16 November 2025.
Renowned for his spiritual and contemplative compositions, the Estonian composer has created a unique musical language that is simultaneously meditative and emotionally powerful, drawing on ancient liturgical traditions while speaking to contemporary audiences. His works, characterised by purity of tone, repetition, and the distinctive tintinnabuli style, invite listeners into a world of reflection, stillness, and awe.
This specially curated festival offers a rare opportunity to explore Pärt’s music across a range of settings — from intimate chapel concerts and family-friendly performances to large-scale orchestral works and immersive film screenings. Audiences will also gain insights into the composer’s life and creative process through discussions, study days, and conversations with those closest to him.
Whether you are a long-time admirer or discovering his music for the first time, 90 Years of Arvo Pärt promises an unforgettable journey into the transcendent and timeless sound world of one of the 20th and 21st centuries’ most profound composers.
90 Years of Arvo Pärt programme and booking information
Merton College Choir and Britten Sinfonia
Tuesday 11 November from 7.30pm
Arvo Pärt’s haunting Fratres opens the evening, paired with his Berlin Mass and complemented by John Tavener’s Song for Athene. Haydn’s Mass for Troubled Times closes a concert that moves between quiet devotion and full-blooded declarations of faith, performed by Merton College Choir and Britten Sinfonia.
Tickets prices:
Full Price – £45, £33, £27, £15
Concession – £22.50, £16.50, £13.50, £7.50
24 Preludes for a Fugue
Wednesday 12 November from 6.00pm
Watch a 2002 documentary exploring Arvo Pärt’s inner life and musical thought, directed by his late brother-in-law Dorian Supin. The screening is followed by a conversation with Pärt’s son, Michael, offering personal insights into the composer’s world.
Tickets:
Full price – £5.00
Concession – £2.50
A Personal View
Wednesday 12 November from 8.00pm
Michael Pärt, Chair of the Arvo Pärt Centre, joins David James of the Hilliard Ensemble for an intimate conversation about the composer’s life and music, punctuated with musical interludes by pianist Sten Heinoja. A rare chance to hear Pärt’s music reflected on through the eyes of his own family.
Tickets:
Full price – £20.00
Concession – £10.00
Spiegel im Spiegel and tintinnabuli – Study Day
Thursday 13 November from 11.00am
The New Space, New College
Delve into the sources and ideas behind Pärt’s iconic Spiegel im Spiegel with researchers from the Arvo Pärt Centre in Estonia. Moderated by Dr Luke Lewis, this study day offers a deep exploration of Pärt’s creative world and his distinctive tintinnabuli style.
Tickets:
Full price – £5.00
Concession – £2.50
The Carice Singers
Thursday 13 November from 7.30pm
An ethereal evening intertwining the music of Arvo Pärt, Thomas Tallis, and Evelin Seppar. The Carice Singers’ performance creates a deeply meditative experience, connecting centuries of sacred music with contemporary interpretations.
Tickets:
Full price – £32.00, £25.00, £21.00
Concession – £16.00, £12.50, £10.50
Sten Heinoja and M4Gnet String Quartet
Friday 14 November from 7.30pm
Estonian pianist Sten Heinoja and the vibrant M4Gnet Quartet bring youthful energy and emotional depth to works by Arvo Pärt, Tõnu Kõrvits, Lepo Sumera, Erkki-Sven Tüür, and James MacMillan in a double-bill concert celebrating modern Estonian music.
Tickets:
Full price – £22.00
Concession – £11.00
Our Garden
Saturday 15 November from 5.00pm
A lively, family-friendly performance of Pärt’s early children’s work Our Garden, accompanied by Songs from Childhood. Local choirs and professional musicians bring this jaunty, dramatic piece to life, with a UK premiere of a new ensemble arrangement by Tauno Aints.
Tickets:
Full price – £10.00
Concession – £5.00
Vox Clamantis
Saturday 15 November from 8.00pm
Returning after ten years, the Grammy-winning Estonian choir Vox Clamantis performs Pärt alongside Helena Tulve and Tõnis Kaumann. Their crystalline, expressive sound transforms the cathedral into a space of reflection and wonder.
Tickets:
Full price – £46.00, £31.00, £23.00, £16.00, £11.00
Concession – £23.00, £15.50, £11.50, £8.00, £5.50
About Time
Sunday 16 November from 2.00pm
A screening of Richard Curtis’s About Time highlights Pärt’s iconic Spiegel im Spiegel in a contemporary cinematic context. Introduced beforehand, this film demonstrates the composer’s far-reaching influence on modern culture.
Tickets:
£11.50 Adult, £10.50 Senior Citizen, £9.50 Student & Claimant, £6.50 Child
Choral Contemplation
Sunday 16 November from 5.30pm
Somerville College Chapel
Join Somerville College Choir for a reflective concert spanning Pärt’s choral works. Unticketed and free to attend, this event offers a serene space for contemplation, suitable for all audiences regardless of faith or background.
