In 2023, Saulius Bartulis - the longtime artistic director and cello player of the Kaunas String Quartet - began to lead the new DIUKOS Quartet.

Saulius Bartulis graduated from the Kaunas Juozas Naujalis Art Secondary school in 1976, and completed his studies in the Lithuanian Music and Art Academy in 1982. He also completed the international “Amadeus Quartet” courses in London in 1992. From 1988 to 2023, he was the artistic director of the Kaunas String Quartet.

This collective was one of the most prominent classical music ensembles in Lithuania. Over its existence, the Quartet played over 2,700 concerts in festivals in Lithuania and represented Lithuanian chamber music culture abroad, including Finland, Norway, Russia, United Kingdom, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Czechia, Argentina, Chile, Denmark, Ukraine, Luxembourg, Netherlands. 

Over 40 years, the Quartet accumulated a repertoire of over 500 pieces - from the classics to XIX and XX-century opuses. They have performed various pieces and premieres by Lithuanians, including Kaunas composers, with whom they have had longstanding professional relationships. The Kaunas String Quartet is a recipient of multiple awards, including the  “Real Music” award in 2008, and the Lithuanian Government’s Prize for merits to Lithuanian culture and art, and was named the “Most Memorable Kaunas Artistic Collective” in 2009 for representing Lithuanian music in Lithuania and abroad. 

The Kaunas String Quartet was also frequently invited to record music for films and theatre productions. The ensemble has played many pieces for the Lithuanian National Radio Fund, and has released 14 CD records.