Asta Pakarklytė is a musicologist and cultural manager. She was appointed as the Chair of the Lithuanian Council for Culture in 2021. Before joining the Council, Pakarklytė was Director of the Music Information Centre Lithuania for seven years, having working at both national and international levels. She was trained as a pianist at the Vilnius Conservatory and graduated as a Master of Musicology from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in 2009. From 2009 to 2014, with some breaks, Pakarklytė studied for a Doctorate in Philosophy at the Lithuanian Cultural Research Institute (unfinished). Pakarklytė started her career as a freelance music critic and journalist in 2003. She worked as a co-host of a radio show on music at the Lithuanian National Radio (2006–2007) and was the Music Editor of the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society (2007–2010), and of the Lithuanian culture magazine Kultūros Barai (2009–2010). Pakarklytė has published more than 300 various texts on music in Lithuanian niche and mass media.