Native of Japan, having a well known jazz pianist, Hiroshi Ikeda as father, and professional classical singer as mother, Rika started piano at her age of 3, and violin at 4. She received Bachelor and Master degrees from Osaka College of Music , Japan, where she intensively studied classical violin with Tomotada Soh and Takako Murata. Her classical studies extended to master classes in Internationales Jugend - Festspieltreffen Bayreuth (Germany), Aspen Music School, The Bowdoin International Music Festival (USA) , Cupra Music Festival (Italy), Tring (UK), Stow (UK), and Courchevel (France) .
While Rika was very busy performing with orchestras as well as solo performances and supporting musician for TV shows, concerts, and theaters in Japan, she was also busy teaching at Osaka College of Music , Koyo Conservatory , and a few other schools.
She was strictly trained classically by her mother, while she had been familiar with jazz music influenced by her father. When she finished her undergraduate study, she started to take jazz gigs, and became more interested in that direction. Later she started to take lessons with renowned alto saxophonist, Randall Conners . She is now studying with Christian Howes at Berklee College of Music , Boston, as a sholarship student, and busy performing throughout the Greater Boston area.
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