Ignas Maknickas, piano

Born in California and raised in Lithuania, pianist Ignas Maknickas was seletced 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. Čiurlionis School of Art in Vilnius, he was honoured by the President of Lithuania, H.E. Dalia Grybauskaitė. 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.