Department of Piano and Organ
Head of the Department:
Assoc. Prof. Aidas Puodžiukas
E-mail: aidas.puodziukas@lmta.lt
Tutor of Organ and Harpsichord Specialisations
Assoc. Prof. Jarūnė Barkauskaitė
E-mail jarune.barkauskaite@lmta.lt
Address:
Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Building 1
Gedimino Ave. 42, 01110 Vilnius, Lithuania
Room 307
Phone: +370 5 262 8537
Department of Piano and Organ
The Piano Department has been part of the Academy since its founding. The department has been taught by notable pianists and pedagogues such as B. Dvarionas, A. Smilgaitė-Dvarionienė, S. Vainiūnas, M. Azizbekova, O. Steinberg, J. Karnavičius, J. Bialobžeskis, V. Vitaitė, B. Vainiūnaitė, and others. The department was led for many years by the renowned composer and pianist S. Vainiūnas (1949-1973), followed by K. Grybauskas (1973-1987), V. Vitaitė (1987-2009), Z. Ibelgauptas (2009-2011), J. Karnavičius (2011-2020), and R. Rikterė (2020-2021). Since 2021, the Piano and Organ Department has been headed by Assoc. Prof. A. Puodžiukas.
Current Piano Faculty include laureates of the Lithuanian National Culture and Art Prize, such as Prof. Mūza Rubackytė, Prof. Petras Geniušas, Prof. Zbignevas Ibelgauptas, Prof. Rūta Rikterė, and international competition winners, including Prof. Jurgis Karnavičius, Prof. Lukas Geniušas, Prof. Sergejus Okruško, Prof. Aleksandra Žvirblytė, Prof. Daumantas Kirilauskas, Assoc. Prof. Albina Šikšniūtė, and Assoc. Prof. Aidas Puodžiukas. The prominent concert activity and interpretative artistry of the Piano Department’s faculty members at the highest level represent Lithuanian musical culture at festivals and concerts in Lithuania and abroad.
The department actively participates in the organization and jury work of international competitions, including the M.K. Čiurlionis Piano and Organ Competition and the S. Vainiūnas Piano Competition. It also organizes concerts by faculty and students at LMTA, S. Vainiūnas House in Vilnius, M. K. Čiurlionis House in Vilnius and the Druskininkai Museum, Organum Concert Hall, and the Vilnius Picture Gallery. Since 2016, the department has been holding student competitions for various scholarships and awards, including the Jono and Nijolė Dedinų, Raimonda Apeikytė, Kazimieras Motieka, and Yamaha competitions. Every two years, the Lisztofonija Piano Competition is held.
International Relations: The department hosts professors from many countries worldwide, and its faculty performs and teaches at various music schools across Europe, Asia, and America. Faculty and students participate in the Nordplus program project Crossing Keyboards.
Courses in piano and piano ensemble are offered in the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in music. The learning process is enhanced by updating the LMTA programs, participating in Erasmus and Nordplus mobility programmes, organizing masterclasses, and exchanging experiences with faculty from Europe’s leading music schools.
Currently, approximately 60 students study in the Piano Department, participating in exchange programs, LMTA-organized events, Lithuania’s concert life, international competitions, festivals, and masterclasses.
LMTA students have access to the highest quality pianos: in the Great Hall, there are instruments by Steinway and Fazioli, while in classrooms, there are Steinway, Grotrian, Yamaha, Petrof, and Schimmel pianos.
Organ and Harpsichord
In 1990, the LMTA Department of Organ was established based on the organ class, and the first International M.K. Čiurlionis Piano and Organ Competition took place a year later in 1991, organized every four years. The Juozas Naujalis Young Organists Competition has been held since 2004.
In 1995, the department was renamed the Department of Organ and Harpsichord, and its faculty comprises the finest organ and harpsichord players in Lithuania. Students in the department have the opportunity to develop professionally and perform not only in the organ classrooms at LMTA but also participate in concerts, festivals, and various events in the capital and other cities in Lithuania. In 2022, the Department of Organ and Harpsichord was merged with the Piano Department and is now called the Department of Piano and Organ.
Current faculty in the Organ and Harpsichord specialization include the Lithuanian National Culture and Art Prize laureate Prof. Renata Marcinkutė Lesieur, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Balys Vaitkus, and Assoc. Prof. Jarūnė Barkauskaitė.
In the organ and harpsichord studies, students have the opportunity to pursue three continuously evolving study and artistic research programmes:
- Bachelor’s (BA) specialisation in Organ and Harpsichord – church music and harpsichord studies.
- Master’s (MA) specialisation in Organ and Harpsichord – concert performance instrument studies.
- Doctoral (MD) in Arts – development and implementation of specialised music research and creative projects.
Bachelor’s studies provide the practical foundation for organ playing, exposure to liturgical organ playing practice, choral and singing studies. Master’s studies elevate the performance qualification, developing professional skills necessary for independent creative work. These skills and the ability to implement creative projects ensure successful professional activity in Lithuania and abroad. In Doctoral studies, creative research projects that require the highest professional qualifications are carried out, led by recognized LMTA and foreign music specialists.
The Piano and Organ Department actively participates in organizing and jurying the international M.K. Čiurlionis Piano and Organ Competition. The Juozas Naujalis Young Organists Competition is held every two years.
Students specializing in Organ and Harpsichord regularly participate in the Erasmus and Nordplus exchange programs, international projects, LMTA-organized events, Lithuania’s concert life, international competitions, festivals, and masterclasses.