Short biography
THE VILNIUS STRING QUARTET is a prominent representative of the Lithuanian chamber music tradition with long history of activity. Having made its debut in 1965, the Quartet was awarded the highest prize at the International String Quartet Competition in Liege (Belgium) in 1972. Among other honours, it was awarded the Dr. A. Razma Cultural Music Prize of the Lithuanian Foundation (USA) in 2002; in 2004 – the Lithuanian National Culture and Art Prize, the highest national award; in 2005 – the Baltic Assembly Prize. In 2024, the members of the Quartet were decorated with the Lithuanian Defence, Culture and Education Association Medals “For Distinguished Service in Disseminating Higher Culture to the Lithuanian Military”.
Having involved several generations of musicians during its creative career, the Vilnius String Quartet has toured many foreign countries, performing in such prestigious venues as New York’s Carnegie Hall, Leipzig’s Gewandhaus, Vienna’s Musikverein, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, etc. It has appeared at major international festivals such as Bregenz (Austria), Schleswig-Holstein (Germany), De Radio France et Montpellier, Hector Berlioz and others. The Quartet regularly participates in international events of national importance to Lithuania, such as our country’s presidency of the Council of the European Union (2013) in Egypt and France; has given concerts from Vilnius, Ukraine to Tel Aviv in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Restoration of the State of Lithuania (2018) as well as exclusive concerts in the Pantheon and the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome, celebrating the 34th anniversary of the Restoration of Lithuania’s Independence and the Year of the Diplomats Lozoraitis (2024), etc.
The Quartet has made numerous recordings for radio archives, released over 40 vinyl records and CDs, including the complete string quartets of the Lithuanian music classic Jurgis Karnavičius, commissioned by Ondine in 2020.
filharmonija.lt
