In 1965, Juozas Domarkas graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where he studied operatic and symphonic conducting with Prof. I. Musin. In 1963, he improved his skills with the famous French conductor I. Markevitch. Since 1963, Juozas Domarkas has conducted the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra. Juozas Domarkas is invited to guest-conduct major orchestras in Russia and other countries. He served as a jury member at the 4th and 5th International G. Fitelberg Conductors Competitions in Katowice, Poland (1991, 1995) and at the 1st and 2nd International S. Prokofiev Conductors Competitions in St. Petersburg (1993, 1996). He has made a number of recordings with various orchestras. As conductor of modern music, he has been the dedicatee of many composition by contemporary composers; a number of modern pieces were premiered and recorded by the conductor. The performances of contemporary music have earned Mr. Domarkas high critical acclaim in the Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Russia and other countries.
The Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra under Juozas Domarkas represents Lithuania on tours abroad. The tour of October, 1994 in Germany, England and Scotland received critical acclaim for Mr. Domarkas’ artistic qualities and high artistic standards of the orchestra.
Since his early age, Juozas Domarkas has performed in the major halls of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Prague, Bratislava, Tallinn and Ljubljana. With the LNSO he has toured Germany, Spain, Great Britain, France and Japan, performed at the Musikverein in Vienna, Barbican Centre in London, Prague Spring and Schleswig-Holstein festivals. In 2001, Mr.Domarkas conducted the LNSO during its tours in Germany. In December, 2001, he appeared at the Cologne Philharmonic with Mstislav Rostropovich as soloist.
Today Prof. Juozas Domarkas is head of the Conducting Department at the Lithuanian Academy of Music. In 1998, Juozas Domarkas was honoured with the Gediminas I Order and the Award of the Government of Lithuania for his services to Lithuanian culture and, in 2001, granted the National Prize of Lithuania.