A respected Estonian composer has been named a recipient of Japan’s highest arts award.

Arvo Part is the composer of orchestral and sacred works, including his Los Angeles Symphony that premiered in LA in 2009. He has been named one of five winners of Japan’s Praemium Imperiale Awards.

The 78-year-old is the most-performed contemporary composer in the world.

The awards carry a prize of 15-million yen — about $159,000. They’re made by Japan’s royal family in the disciplines of painting, music, sculpture, architecture, and music, all of which are not covered by the Nobel Prize.

The other honourees are South African playwright Athol Fugard, American architect Steven Holl, French artist Martial Raysse, and Italian sculptor Giuseppe Penone.

The awards will be presented in Tokyo October 15th.