Zbignevas Ibelgauptas

Zbignevas Ibelgauptas, a pianist and professor at the Department of Piano of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, studied at the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art. In 1984, he graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and completed an assistantship-internship there, earning qualifications as a soloist, concertmaster, chamber ensemble artist, and teacher.

Since 1988, Z. Ibelgauptas has been a lecturer at the Department of Piano of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. He became a professor in 2009, served as Head of the Department from 2009 to 2011, and was the Rector of the Academy from 2011 to 2021. Since 2021, he has been serving as Development Adviser to the Rector of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

In 1988, he formed a piano duo with Professor Rūta Rikterė and has since been a regular performer at musical events both in Lithuania and internationally, organising and presenting numerous cultural projects, musical programmes, and concerts at festivals worldwide. He has toured Japan, the USA, Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany, Ireland, and other countries. His concerts have been broadcast on Lithuanian and European radio stations, with numerous radio and TV recordings and several CD releases to his name.

Z. Ibelgauptas is a laureate of the International M. K. Čiurlionis Piano Competition (1982, 1st prize), the International Piano Duo Competition in Rome (1991), and the Golden Disc Award (2001). In 1997, he received the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts.  In 2016, he was honoured with the title of Commander of the Royal Swedish Order of the Polar Star.

He regularly serves on organising committees and juries for various international and national competitions, and conducts masterclasses both in Lithuania and abroad.