The President of the Republic of Estonia Alar Karis and the First Lady Sirje Karis hosted a reception for the ambassadors at the Arvo Pärt Center in Laulasmaa.

H.E. Manfred Ritter Mautner von Markhof, the Ambassador of the Order of Malta briefly introduced the Order’s activities in Estonia to the President and the First Lady which was received with admiration and gratitude.

The President and the First Lady expressed their desire to learn more about the Order of Malta and its activities.

World-famous composer Arvo Pärt can rightly be considered a global ambassador for Estonian culture and music. There are few composers in music history that have created music using their original composition technique, or whose sound language is so unmistakably recognisable from the very first bars. Pärt is one such composer. His tintinnabuli works show a very personal approach to sound, silence and word. Pärt’s oeuvre has left an important mark in the history of 20th-century music.

The Arvo Pärt Centre combines the composer’s personal archive with an information and music Centre. It is an open meeting place for musicians, researchers and music lovers—for anyone interested in Arvo Pärt’s music and world of ideas. It was founded by Arvo Pärt and his family, with the aim of creating opportunities for preserving and researching the creative heritage of the composer in the context of his native language in Estonia.