Ruta and Zbignevas Ibelhauptas Piano Duo was formed in 1989. Both performers received their graduate and postgraduate education at the Lithuanian Academy of Music.

A laureate of international competitions, the Ruta and Zbignevas Ibelhauptas Piano Duo has participated regulary in various musical projects in Lithuania and abroad. They have given many recitals in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, France and Latvia, and have appeared at many international festivals in Russia, Ukraine, Poland ("Warsaw Autumn", "Silesian Days of Contemporary Music"), Slovenia (Ljubljana Summer Festival) and Germany (Klassik im Grünen). They have also played with the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra, the Lithuanian Chamber, the Lithuanian National Symphony, and the Lithuanian State Symphony orchestras conducted by Saulius Sondeckis, Juozas Domarkas, David Geringas, Arturo Tamayo, Pavel Berman, Jose Serebrier and Robertas Servenikas. Their concerts have been broadcast by Lithuanian National TV and Lithuanian and European radio stations.

Their vast repertoire includes compositions for two pianos and pieces for four hands, from baroque to modern music. Ruta and Zbignevas Ibelhauptas often collaborate with contemporary Lithuanian composers and have inspired numerous new works.

In addition to giving concerts, they teach piano and piano duet at the Lithuanian Academy of Music. In 1999, the Academy conferred on each of them the title of Associate Professor. In 1997, Ruta and Zbignevas Ibelhauptas were honoured with the National Prize of Lithuania.

Témoignages

• "This ensemble regulary presents both classical compositions that have not been performed in Lithuania before and new opuses by Lithuanian composers. Constantly striving for high standarts, these skilful pianists have inspired many Lithuanian composers to write music for them."
  K.Firkaviciute, Lietuvos rytas, 2001
  
  
• "Naturnah ist auch die Inspiration des virtuosen Vortragsstücks Vijoklis (die deutsche Übersetzung “Ranken” ist falsch, gemeint ist “Kletterpflanze”!), 1988 für das fantastische Klavierduo Ruta und Zbignevas Ibelhauptas geschrieben."
  Lutz Lesle, CD Onute Narbutaite, June Music. Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, 2003
  
  
• "The duo of Ruta and Zbignevas Ibelhauptas has amassed a sizeable group of listeners for some time already. However, it is not a choir unanimously extolling the virtuosity of these pianists: their interpretations encourage discussions, often being far from what ”they are supposed to be”. The pianists do not seem to be particularly fond of academism, but their concerts abound in brave, oiginal and firsthand solutions, individual sensibility and conceptions."
  Edmundas Gedgaudas, 7 meno dienos, 2005