The members of the young and ambitious ART VIO String Quartet – Ingrida Rupait (1st violin), Kristijonas Venslovas (2nd violin), Tomas Petrikis (viola) and Povilas Jacunskas (cello) – are graduates of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. The ensemble was formed in Vilnius in 2003, and embarked right away on active concertising. The members of the Quartet hold to stylistic diversity as to their motto by performing most varied music – from the great classical masterpieces to contemporary works. Their repertoire includes works by Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Edvard Grieg and Maurice Ravel, as well as those by Lithuanian composers Mikalojus Konstantinas iurlionis, Juozas Naujalis, Eduardas Balsys, Osvaldas Balakauskas, Juozas Širvinskas and Anatolijus Šenderovas.
The Art Vio became prize winners at the Competition for Chamber Ensembles in Vilnius in 2003, and took part in the Kuhmo International Chamber Music Competition 2004 in Finland . For several years in a row the group has polished their ensemble technique at the master courses in Reichenau (Austria) where they have been tutored by the members of Amadeus, Artis, Bartók, Hagen, Janá ek and Smetana quartets.
The Art Vio is dedicated to promoting works by Lithuanian composers. One of such Lithuanian programmes was recently performed to wide public and critical acclaim in Berlin at a concert organised by the renowned German composer and conductor, Kurt Dietmar Richter, to commemorate distinguished Lithuanian and German composers and artists. Another significant event in the biography of a young group was the opportunity to participate in a concert at the Royal Palace of El Prado in Madrid, during a two-day visit of the President of Lithuania. Among the highlights of the season 2006 is their appearance at the International Organ and Chamber Music Festival in Gi|ycko , Poland , where they performed an all-Lithuanian programme.
In November 2007, the group participated in the Harmos Festival in Portugal. The quartet played one of the festival’s concerts in the famous Casa da Música of Porto.
Art Vio, together with the famous cellist Prof. David Geringas, gave several concerts in concert halls of Lithuania and Germany.
The string quartet Art Vio has released a CD with music by german composer F. Gernsheim and a CD with opuses by Lithuanian composers.