BIOGRAPHY
Born in California and raised in Lithuania, pianist Ignas
Maknickas was a winner at the 2023 Young Classical Artists Trust
international auditions.
A decorated competition pianist, Ignas was winner of the 2024
Award for Keyboard at the Royal Overseas League Annual Music
Competition. He also previously won First Prize at the XIX
Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition for Youth in Szafarnia, First
Prize at the XX Piano Competition ‘Young Virtuoso’ in Zagreb,
Third Prize at the Aarhus Piano Competition, and was a
semi-finalist of the 2021 Vendome Prize.
Ignas has appeared in concertos with various orchestras
including the Aarhus Symphony, Bloomington Symphony in Indiana, Lithuanian National
Symphony and London Mozart Players. He has performed recitals at prestigious concert halls
such as Wigmore Hall and Steinway Hall in London, Auditorium du Louvre in Paris and
Lithuanian National Philharmonic in Vilnius. He has also appeared on BBC Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’
Programme.
In the 2024/25 season, Ignas took the stage at Leeds International Festival, St George’s Bristol
and Konzerthaus Berlin, as well as making a return to Wigmore Hall for a YCAT Lunchtime
concert. He also made his debut at the Bendigo Chamber Music Festival in Australia. The
forthcoming season includes a return to Wigmore Hall and a performance of Rachmaninov’s
2nd Piano Concerto in the new year.
Ignas completed his Bachelor, Master of Arts programmes and Advanced Diploma
Programme at the Royal Academy of Music on full scholarship under Professor Joanna
MacGregor CBE, and was holder of the Aud Jebsen Piano Fellowship in 2024-25. In 2021 he
received ‘The Queen’s Award for Excellence’ as the highest-scoring graduate of the Royal
Academy of Music. He is a Leverhulme Arts Scholar, and recipient of the ABRSM Scholarship
Award, Imogen Cooper Music Trust Scholarship, Munster Trust Mark James Award, Robert
Turnbull Piano Foundation Award, Tillett Trust and Colin Keer Trust Award and Hattori
Foundation Award.
His debut CD, ‘Opening’, was released on Deux-elles in March 2025 and was praised as “...an
impressive recital album...” by BBC Music Magazine.
In 2017, graduating from the National M.K. ÄŒiurlionis School of Art in Vilnius, he was honoured by
the President of Lithuania, H.E. Dalia GrybauskaitÄ—. With his sister and three brothers the
talented Maknickas Family Ensemble has represented Lithuania on National Television and at
State Occasions.
Ignas is extremely grateful to Dasha Shenkman OBE for her support during his time with YCAT.