Rasa Vitkauskaite

Pianist, Recording Artist & Teacher

Rasa Vitkauskaite pianist

Rasa Vitkauskaite

Pianist, Recording Artist & Teacher

Rasa Vitkauskaite pianist

Rasa Vitkauskaite

Pianist, Recording Artist & Teacher

"Scintillating pianism and a kaleidoscope of colors"

Fanfare

"Artistry of poetic and observant sensitivity"

Gramophone

"Subtle musicianship and exceptional skill"

American Record Guide

"Scintillating pianism... kaleidoscope of colors"

Fanfare

"Artistry of poetic and observant sensitivity"

Gramophone

"Subtle musicianship and exceptional skill"

American Record Guide

About Rasa

Winner of the Grand Prix at the Mendelssohn Cup Piano Competition in Italy, Lithuanian pianist Rasa Vitkauskaite is an internationally acclaimed, multiple award winning pianist, recording artist and teacher. Hailed for her “artistry of poetic and observant sensitivity” (Gramophone), Ms. Vitkauskaite has performed in over 30 countries and was recently invited to join the prestigious Steinway Artist roster. Read more

Concerto CD

Now available on Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music and many other platforms worldwide. Fanfare Magazine praised the CD as comparable to Rudolf Serkin’s legendary recording with Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. The 28-page booklet included with the CD and authored by Rasa reveals insightful and extensive background behind the recorded works and provides a truly fulfilling listening experience.  Click here for sound samples and complete reviews. 

Study with Rasa

Fill out the New Student Form to set up your trial lesson. Lessons available at the Ms. Vitkauskaite’s private studio in Cambridge, MA, or online. She is also a frequent guest teacher around the globe. Recently, she has given masterclasses at the Ohio University, University of Akron, National University of Rosario in Argentina and Carlos Gomes State Institute in Belém, Brazil. Read more

Rasa Vitkauskaite pianist

Recent Reviews

Jerry Dubbins
Fanfare Magazine, December 2020
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“...among the most scholarly, thoroughly documented, reference-cited, and footnoted... CD booklet I’ve seen... ...in the Mozart, composed in 1785, she glimpses in her reading the swirling minor-key episodes that would come two years later in Don Giovanni. In other words, Vitkauskaite grasps, appreciates, and projects the operatic element in the concerto’s music... While personal longtime favorites in Mozart’s piano concertos have been Alfred Brendel with Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Murray Perahia with the English Chamber Orchestra, and Robert Casadesus with Szell in a mix of recordings, some with the Cleveland Orchestra, some with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, I find that Vitkauskaite’s way with Mozart’s No. 20 is every bit as probing, dramatic, and satisfying as those named above... ... [Vitkauskaite] brings [several] distinctions to her performance of the Beethoven, chief among which—as I noted in a review of her solo debut album in 38:2—are her penetrating musical insight and her ability to commune with the composer and her audience in a way that feels conversational... Beyond Vitkauskaite’s playing, which, by all measures, attains the highest degrees of both technical finish and interpretive integrity, what adds immeasurably to these performances and makes them special is the leadership from the podium of Jonathan Cohler. Whether with the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra in the Mozart or the Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra in the Beethoven, Cohler sees his role and that of the orchestra in these works not as accompanists, but as partners fully engaged in an equal and balanced dialogue with the soloist... Regardless of how many recordings of these two concertos you already have on your shelf, I’d strongly urge you to make room for this one.
Huntley Dent
Fanfare Magazine, December 2020
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“two outstanding performances... filled with musical passion... She plays the solo part as boldly as Rudolf Serkin, and he conducts with more dramatic force than George Szell in their Columbia Records account... Vitkauskaite and Cohler deliver an ideal Mozart performance, abetted by beautiful playing from the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra and up-to-date engineering that combines inner detail with overall impact. The full dynamic range of the piano is vividly conveyed, as is the dynamic range of Mozart’s score... [In the Beethoven] Cohler offers an orchestral part that is fully symphonic and beautifully shaped... Serkin again comes to mind in his Beethoven Third Concerto with Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic from the 1960s, a particular favorite of mine. This new reading rivals it for exuberance, high energy, charisma, and the heroic spirit of Beethoven’s middle period... The first-movement cadenza is thrilling in Vitkauskaite’s hands... I had no expectations... that this new release would be quite as superb as it turned out to be.”
Henry Fogel
Fanfare Magazine, December 2020
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“...major performances worthy of standing with the finest recordings of both pieces... Vitkauskaite’s substantial program notes make her scholarship credentials clear, and she writes very well about her approach to ornamentation in the Mozart. Her ornamentation is lovely...The second movement is a fine example of its tasteful, effective use. ...Her playing in both works combines the best elements of boldness and lyricism... Pianist and conductor also find cohesion between the heroic and intimate elements of both pieces. After a forceful conclusion to the first movement of the Beethoven, Vitkauskaite begins the second movement with hushed beauty. Cohler brings the orchestra in with quiet discretion, then builds to something more weighty, only to fade out before the next quiet piano entrance. In both works the dynamic shading and tempo adjustments are very thoughtfully graded in a way that maintains architectural unity. Everything about this disc is praiseworthy. The vivid performances, the warm recorded sounds, and the exceptional program notes all add up to an enthusiastic recommendation.
Myron Silberstein
Fanfare Magazine, December 2020
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"...I’m more inclined toward performers that do... everything very well, very subtly, and with absolute commitment and confidence. Rasa Vitkauskaite’s performance of two of the cornerstones of the piano concerto repertoire does all these things, as does Jonathan Cohler’s conducting. This disc is a very satisfying experience from start to finish. Vitkauskaite’s mastery of these two concertos is apparent even without listening to the recording; this disc includes one of the most extensive and well researched program booklets I have in my library. ...Her Beethoven is sonorous to the very depths of the piano, whereas her sound in the Mozart is simply full ... She takes a consistently vocal approach to Mozart’s melodic writing... ...This disc is a very welcome addition to my library and offers a beautifully polished, mature, intelligent rendering of these beloved concertos.
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