Rūta Rikterė
Professor of the LMTA Piano Department, LMTA Vice-Rector for Studies. Subjects: Piano, Piano Ensemble. Languages: English (C1), Russian (C2).
Rūta Rikterė has a degree from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (1986) where later she completed her postgraduate studies to acquire the qualifications of a soloist, an accompanist, a chamber ensemble musician, and a teacher.
Rūta Rikterė is a laureate of the M. K. Čiurlionis International Piano Competition (1982), Valentino Bucchi International Piano Duo Competition in Rome (1991), and the winner of the Golden Disc (2001), a prestigious award by the Lithuanian Musicians’ Union.
In 1997, the pianist was awarded the National Culture and Arts Award (Lithuania).
For over 30 years, Rūta Rikterė together with pianist Zbignevas Ibelgauptas has been fostering the genre of piano duo. She has taken part in various musical events in Lithuania (Vilnius Festival, Pažaislis Music Festival, the Thomas Mann Festival, the Gaida Contemporary Music Festival) and abroad such as international festivals in Poland (Warszawska Jesień (Warsaw Autumn)), Denmark (Musikhost), Ljubljana Summer Festival in Slovenia, Germany (Usedomer musik festival), Canada (Music Niagara), Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine.
As a member of the piano duo, Rūta Rikterė has given concerts with the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, the State Chamber Orchestra of the Republic of Belarus. The duo has performed under the baton of Arturo Tamayo, David Geringas, Olivier Grangean, José Serebrier, Pavel Berman, Juozas Domarkas, Saulius Sondeckis, and others.
The duo of Rūta Rikterė and Zbignevas Ibelgauptas has given recitals on the stages of music halls in Japan, Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany, Slovenia, Ireland, Latvia, and Russia. They performed at the events of Vilnius European Capital of Culture in 2009. In 2013, the musicians were invited to perform at important events of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The concerts by the duo have been broadcast on the Lithuanian and European radio stations and on the Lithuanian TV. The duo has also released several CDs.
Rūta Rikterė has developed an impressive concert repertoire that predominantly comprises compositions for two pianos ranging from Johann Sebastian Bach to contemporary music. Rūta Rikterė’s openness to innovation, flexibility of musical interpretation, and precision of her performing technique have helped the pianist earn an outstanding reputation in the world of contemporary music. Rūta Rikterė, with most assiduous attention, devotes herself to the contemporary music by Lithuanian composers: she eagerly promotes the Lithuanian music history, edits the scores of the works by Lithuanian composers, and is the initiator and first performer of compositions by many Lithuanian musicians.
Rūta Rikterė runs master classes, both in Lithuania and abroad, and can often be seen among organisers members of judging committees at various international and national competitions. She has been a coordinator and partner in numerous projects subsidised by the Culture Support Fund (Lithuania) and Vilnius City Municipality.