First and foremost, the contributors and I warmly acknowledge Arvo Pärt, whose stunning contribution to the world will undoubtedly resonate for generations to come. I offer sincere thanks to the contributing authors for their unparalleled expertise, timeliness, and good humor.
I am greatly indebted to the support of many friends and colleagues. I must single out Andrew Shenton, the dedicatee of this volume and someone to whom Pärt scholarship owes an immense debt. Kate McQuiston and Marissa Silverman generously donated their time to early drafts of my contribution to this volume. I would like to express my gratitude to those colleagues at the John J. Cali School of Music and further afield, who have sustained my work in both tangible and intangible ways, including Kythe Heller, Eveljn Ferraro, Heather J. Buchanan, and Ruth Rendleman.