Chika Inoue
"I use them on all my saxophones."- Chika Inoue (Los Angeles Philharmonic, Concert Saxophonist, Master Class Clinician)
Concert saxophonist, Chika Inoue (井上知香) has been praised for her "beautiful tone, acute sensitivity and virtuosic technique." She has received numerous performance awards in competitions, lavishing praise as a soloist and chamber musician. Chika has performed internationally at major venues, appearing as soloist and chamber musician in the United States, Germany, Italy, China, and Japan with lavishing admiration. She has been a featured performing artist in international festivals such as The Faenza International Saxophone Festival in Italy, and The Yamaha Saxophone Festival in Japan. Additionally, she was recitalist and master class teacher at The International China Clarinet, and Saxophone Music Festival in Taiyuan, China and University of Arts, Berlin (UdK). She is on-call saxophonist for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Chika actively looks beyond the standard saxophone repertoire for works that allow the saxophone to shine, continuously transcribing and performing works of violin, clarinet, oboe, flute, voice and piano, expanding the limits of the saxophone technique and artistry. Although her concentration has primarily been on classical music, her phenomenal musicianship is embraced by jazz, film, ethnic folk, rock and electronic musical genres in her concerts.
A native of Osaka, Japan, Chika spent most of her youth in Frankfurt, Germany and San Diego, California. She has won first prize laureate at the Japan International League of Artists Music Competition, the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus Young Artists Competition, Redlands Bowl Young Artist Competition, Fresno Musical Club Bell T. Richie Award, and the Beverly Hills National Auditions. A graduate of the USC Thornton School of Music (D.M.A.), California State University, Fresno (M.A.), and UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music (B.A.), Chika is dedicated to sharing her knowledge with students. She is currently on faculty at Los Angeles City College as well as the California State University, Dominguez Hills.
She is committed to sharing classical saxophone music and its diverse capabilities across the spectrum of music with audiences worldwide. She is currently based in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.