The Vilnius String Quartet, a recipient of several prestigious prizes, has been enjoying the reputation of one of the leading collectives in the cultural life of Lithuania. Its performances have won accolades both in Lithuania and abroad. The Quartet made its debut in 1965. In 1972, it was awarded the highest prize at the International String Quartet Competition in Liege (Belgium); in 1973, it was named after the city of Vilnius. In 1979, the Quartet received the State Prize, in 2002 – Dr. Antanas Razma prize of the Lithuanian Foundation (USA), in 2004 – the Lithuanian National Arts and Culture Prize, in 2005 – the Baltic Assembly Prize. In 2012, for its contribution to culture the Vilnius String Quartet was honoured with the St. Christopher Statuette. 

The Vilnius String Quartet has always felt its mission in putting its namesake on the world map. Having toured around the world, the Quartet has appeared in the world’s top concert halls and festivals. In 2013, on occasion of Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union the Vilnius String Quartet has given concerts in Egypt and France. The celebration of Lithuania’s centenary in 2018 took the Quartet to Tel Aviv and Jaffa (Israel), Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano Frankivsk and Dnipro (Ukraine). 

The Vilnius String Quartet has collaborated with both renowned masters and young performers. Its intriguing and remarkable programmes and concert series draw numerous audiences, refine their musical taste, introduce the Lithuanian listeners with both the music masterpieces and lesser-known repertoire. Annually, the Quartet presents its connoisseurs with new opuses focusing on Lithuanian music – has performed more than 100 works (half of them being especially dedicated to the ensemble) by Lithuanian composers. 

The Vilnius String Quartet’s numerous recordings are housed at the Lithuanian Radio archives. The Quartet’s record credits currently include over 40 vinyl records and CDs on various Lithuanian, Russian, German, French, Finnish, Swedish, British and American labels. In 2020, commissioned by Ondine, the most famous Finnish classical and contemporary music record label, the Vilnius String Quartet recorded complete string quartets by Jurgis Karnavičius, the Lithuanian music classic.