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Department of Chamber Ensemble

Head of the Department:
Prof. Rimantas Armonas
E-mail: rimantas.armonas@lmta.lt

Address:
Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Building 2
Vilniaus 6-2, 01110 Vilnius, Lithuania
Room 315

Coordinator
Renatas Jankevičius
El. paštas renatas.jankevicius@lmta.lt
Phone: +370 5 207 5793  
Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Building 2
Vilniaus 6-2, 01110 Vilnius, Lithuania
Room 216

The Department of Chamber Ensemble was established in 1964 in response to the growing popularity of chamber music in Lithuania. The formation of new artistic ensembles – including the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, the Lithuanian Quartet, and the Philharmonic Wind Quintet –fostered interest in classical repertoire and encouraged Lithuanian composers to create new chamber works. The core faculty of the newly founded department included members of the Lithuanian Quartet, who were the first Soviet-era Lithuanian musicians to achieve international recognition, winning competitions in Hungary (Budapest, 1959) and Belgium (Liège, 1964). These members were violinists Eugenijus Paulauskas and Kornelija Kalinauskaitė (also a pianist), violist Jurgis Fledžinskas, and cellist Romualdas Kulikauskas. During its early years, the department also benefited from the expertise of prof. Saulius Sondeckis (violin), prof. Povilas Berkavičius (cello), prof. Silvija Sondeckienė (cello), and other distinguished string musicians.

Many renowned musicians and educators have left a significant mark on the department, including members of the Vilnius Quartet – prof. Audronė Vainiūnaitė, prof. Petras Kunca; violists prof. Donatas Katkus, prof. Audronė Pšibilskienė; violinists prof. Kazimieras Kanišauskas, doc. Rimantas Šiugždinis, prof. Rusnė Mataitytė, Audronė Šarpytė; cellists doc. Michailas Šenderovas, prof. Domas Svirskis, doc. Iminas Kučinskas, prof. Rimantas Armonas, lekt. Romeo Svirskis; pianists prof. Julius Andrejevas, Jūratė Klovaitė, Violeta Tamašauskaitė-Coutaz, and others.

Study programmes

The Department of Chamber Ensemble offers:

  • Chamber ensemble studies for piano, string, and wind instrument students at both Bachelor’s and Master’s levels.
  • String quartet studies for Bachelor’s and Master’s students in the String Instruments Department.
  • Music Performance Master‘s programme, specializations in Chamber Ensemble, String Quartet, Contemporary Music and Improvisation.
  • Artistic Doctorate studies.

Since 2019, the LMTA Department of Chamber Ensemble has been collaborating with leading music academies in Austria, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway to offer a joint master‘s “ECMAster” chamber music study programme.

Faculty

The department’s current faculty includes nationally and internationally recognized artists, many of whom have received State and Government Awards:

  • Prof. Augustinas Vasiliauskas (cello, former member of the Vilnius Quartet)
  • Prof. Rimantas Armonas (cello, member of “Armonas Uss Duo” and “Armonų Trio”)
  • Prof. Dalia Balsytė (piano)
  • Doc. Dr. Indrė Baikštytė (piano, member of “FortVio” piano trio)
  • Doc. Ingrida Rupaitė (violin)
  • Doc. Povilas Jacunskas (cello)
  • Doc. Vaida Paukštienė (violin, member of “Chordos” String Quartet)
  • Doc. Vykintas Bieliauskas-Baltakas (composer, conductor)
  • Doc. Liudas Mockūnas (composer, jazz performer)
  • Doc. Saulius Lipčius (guitar, member of the Baltic Guitar Quartet)
  • Doc. Inga Gylytė (violin)
  • Lekt. Gytis Cinauskas (piano)
  • Lekt. Rokas Vaitkevičius (cello, member of “Mettis” String Quartet)
  • Lekt. Kristina Anusevičiūtė-Šimunskė (viola, member of the Vilnius Quartet)
  • Elena Daunytė (cello, member of M.K. Čiurlionis String Quartet)
  • Lekt. Arnas Mikalkėnas (multi-instrumentalist, composer)

Activities and International Collaboration

The department is actively involved in the promotion of Lithuanian chamber music:

  • Since 1999, it has hosted the International Lithuanian Composers’ Chamber Music Performance Competition annually.
  • It plays a key role in organizing the International Stasys Vainiūnas Chamber Ensemble Competition, listed in the Allink/Argerich catalog.
  • The department continues the 50-year tradition of hosting International Student Chamber Ensemble Festivals.
  • It is a member of ECMTA (European Chamber Music Teachers’ Association) and ECMA (European Chamber Music Academy).
  • It collaborates with top music academies in Austria, Italy, the UK, Norway, France, and Switzerland.
  • Faculty and students actively participate in Erasmus+ and Nordplus exchange programs.
  • Each semester, 2–3 renowned European professors conduct masterclasses at LMTA.

Students and Ensembles

Each year, over 160 students study at the department, forming more than 80 chamber ensembles ranging from duos to sextets. The department is represented internationally not only by its faculty but also by student and alumni ensembles, many of whom are winners of national and international competitions:

  • String Quartets: “Mettis,” “Adora,” “Archi Quartet”
  • Chamber Ensembles: “Trio Claviola,” “Amber Trio,” “Modo,” “SubtiluZ,” “Tutto a Dio”
  • Piano Trios: “Meta”
  • Wind Ensembles: “Nexum” (piano-wind sextet)
  • Many other emerging and promising chamber ensembles.