Altininkas Girdutis Jakaitis, the laureate of Lithuania's National Culture and Arts Prize, began performing concerts while studying at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in the classes of Evaldas Vyčinas and Professor Petras Radzevičius. In 1989, he won the 2nd prize in the competition for young performers in Kishinev (Moldova) with pianist Daiva Stulgyte Povilaitiene. He also participated in international competitions in Italy and Germany. From 1990, he honed his skills in Prof. Thomas Riebl's masterclasses at the Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg. Altininkas has performed in Lithuanian cities, Germany, and as a soloist with the orchestras of the Music and Theatre Academy, the Kishinev Philharmonic, the State Symphony Orchestra of Lithuania, the Lithuanian and Klaipėda Chamber Orchestras. He has performed works by Lithuanian composers at contemporary music festivals "Gaida" and "Jauna muzika" and in collaboration with the "Gaida" ensemble. From 1997 to 2020, he was an artist of the Vilnius String Quartet, with whom he performed in prestigious halls worldwide and promoted Lithuanian music culture at international festivals. As a quartet member, he participated in recordings released by Lithuanian and international record companies, including the chamber version of L. van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with pianist Mūza Rubackytė and the Shanghai String Quartet. The duo with pianist Daiva Stulgyte Povilaitiene has been playing with interruptions since 1987.
