Donaldas Račys was born in Šiauliai, where he began to learn playing the piano. He continued his studies at M. K. Čiurlionis School of Arts, learning from E. M. Šernienė and A. Jurgelionis. While still a student, Donaldas took part and won many republican, inter-republican and international competitions. Among them, the competition in Usti nad Labem (1982, 1st prize), the young performer competition in Vilnius (1987, 1st prize) and the inter-republican piano competition in Riga (1987, 3rd prize) stand out. Between 1987 and 1993, Donaldas studied at the Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory, studying under Prof. V. Kastelskyj and Prof. L. Dedov. The pianist has performed many times in Germany, Italy, Denmark, Russia and has recorded works for Lithuanian Radio with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra. He performed a recital in St. Petersburg, marking the restoration of diplomatic relations between Lithuania and Poland. Besides his solo activities, Donaldas devotes a lot of attention to his pedagogical work, often giving piano masterclasses. He is also invited to be a member of the jury for republican and international competitions. Donaldas Račys is a teacher and methodologist at M. K. Čiurlionis School of Arts, an associate professor at the Music Academy of Vytautas Magnus University and the head of the piano department. The pianist organizes various music education projects. For example, in 2017, his students performed all of S. Rachmaninov's "Etudes-tableaux" for piano in concerts in Lithuania and Poland, and in 2018, all of C. Debussy's Preludes.
