“Musical Horizons”

On November 14, we invite you to discover “Musical Horizons”—two talented young-generation artists, currently studying at the University of Music and Arts in Vienna, will reveal their exceptional musical taste to the Paliesius Manor audience.

Violinist Ugnė Katinskaitė and pianist Elžbieta Liepa Dvarionaitė are laureates of prestigious competitions who collaborate with world-renowned musicians—acclaimed, recognized, and highly anticipated. They never cease to amaze with the boundless horizons of their talent and potential, alongside their ever-expanding musical endeavors across Europe and the globe, while always returning to perform in Lithuania.

Ugnė Katinskaitė graduated from the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art, where she studied under Prof. Rusnė Mataitytė, and from 2016 she studied in Prof. Pavel Berman’s class at the Accademia Perosi in Italy. Since 2022, Ugnė has been continuing her studies at the University of Music and Arts in Vienna with Prof. Pavel Vernikov. Since 2014, she has been a protégé of the Mstislav Rostropovich Charity and Support Foundation “Support to Lithuanian Children” and plays a violin gifted to her by the foundation.

Despite her young age, Ugnė is a laureate of numerous national and international competitions. She has earned awards in the B. Dvarionas, J. Urba, S. Sondeckis, R. Katilius, Andrea Postacchini, J. Kocian, Kaunas Sonorum, and Rudolf Barshai competitions. In 2019, she won first place and a special prize for the best interpretation of a piece at the J. Kocian Competition, and that same year, she became the absolute winner at Kaunas Sonorum, receiving an award for exceptional artistry.

The violinist has performed with various Lithuanian and foreign orchestras: the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra, the Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra, and other ensembles. She has appeared in venues such as the Vienna Musikverein and Konzerthaus, as well as in Italy, Germany, Belgium, Poland, and Serbia. In 2023, Ugnė played in the jubilee concert “Dispute with the Orchestra” at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Mstislav Rostropovich Foundation, alongside the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra. In 2025, Ugnė performed at a gala event at the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Lithuania, attended by the President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen, along with the First Lady and the official Austrian delegation. In September of the same year, she won the audition for the prestigious Tonkünstler Orchestra Academy in Austria, standing out among 28 participants from various countries. She regularly appears at international festivals in Brussels, the Sion Festival in Switzerland, and Festival Bunt in Belgrade.

The violinist is also active in the field of chamber music—she performs with the Orenda String Quartet and pianist Akihiro Sano. In 2025, she began collaborating with French composer Pierre Thilloy, performing the work “Inferno” together with the Chroma Clarinet Quintet. Ugnė’s achievements have been recognized with significant honors: in 2020, the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, presented her with an award for her international achievements and for promoting the name of Lithuania; in 2021, the Mayor of Vilnius, Remigijus Šimašius, awarded her the “Little Christopher”; and in 2022, she was granted the Lithuanian Government’s “Kitas100” scholarship.

Elžbieta Liepa Dvarionaitė is one of the most prominent Lithuanian pianists of the younger generation and a laureate of numerous national and international competitions. In June 2025, she was awarded second prize at one of Spain’s largest piano competitions, the “Malaga International Piano Competition.” In 2024, the pianist was awarded second place at the Bechstein-Bruckner Competition in Linz, Austria, where the best nominated pianists from all of Austria’s performing arts universities competed. In March 2022, Elžbieta was awarded the 1st prize at the International Stasys Vainiūnas Piano Competition, and in February 2023, she claimed second place at the “Piano Neuchâtel – Val de Travers” international piano competition in Switzerland.

E. L. Dvarionaitė has performed in Japan, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Poland, Latvia, Austria, Portugal, and the Czech Republic. She has also appeared with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Symphony, Malaga Philharmonic Symphony, Lithuanian Philharmonic Symphony, Lithuanian State Symphony, Lithuanian Chamber, Kaunas Symphony, Klaipėda Chamber, and St. Christopher Chamber orchestras, as well as the Riga and Tallinn Chamber orchestras, and the Czech “Virtuosi Brunensis” orchestra. She has honed her skills in masterclasses with Y. Bronfman, A. Siirala, E. Nebolsin, G. Gruzman, D. Bashkirov, P. Nersessian, and others. In March 2018, the Mayor of Vilnius, Remigijus Šimašius, presented the performer with the “Little St. Christopher” for her musical achievements and for promoting the city of Vilnius.

Currently, Elžbieta is studying at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, in the piano class of Professor Anna Malikova. The pianist regularly appears on Lithuanian and foreign stages, both as a soloist and as a chamber music performer.