Chika was awarded full scholarships to study with Eudice Shapiro of the University of Southern California and Dorothy Delay of the Juilliard School
She led the LA Music Centre Quartet, led and managed the Schoenberg Institute’s USC Contemporary Music Ensemble and was the operations manager/principal for the LA Chamber Players.
Chika has performed regularly at home and abroad as a principal player with highly acclaimed ensembles including the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and London Sinfonietta, premiering and recording numerous solo and ensemble works for esteemed composers, and played in a piano trio with Peter Donohoe. She was awarded a PhD in contemporary violin performance and pedagogy in 1999.
She is passionate about helping others develop their musical potential and is a popular adjudicator and workshop presenter. She is a professor of violin at Junior Academy and Diploma examiner, seminar presenter and Professional Development Mentor for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM).
Chika plays an Amati violin, performing concerts with pianists including Mikhail Kazakevich and Elena Zozina. She is Joint Chief Executive of the Music Mind Spirit Trust and directs award-winning programmes such as ‘SongTrees’ to further musical opportunities for young musicians.