Chi-chi Nwanoku is a British-born double bassist, professor, and broadcaster of Nigerian and Irish descent. She trained as a sprinter and played the piano since the age of 7, but after an injury, turned her focus to music. She became an internationally recognised double bassist following studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London and with Italian Double bass soloist, Franco Petracchi in Rome.
Chi-chi is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Chineke! Foundation, which supports and inspires Black and ethnically diverse classical musicians. Chi-chi's contributions to music education are widely recognised, with keynote speeches on the importance of diversity across the globe.
As a broadcaster, she has presented programmes and documentaries for BBC Radio 3 and 4, Classic FM, a documentary on the life and music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor for Sky-Arts and contributed to the BBC documentary BEING BEETHOVEN.
In addition to her teaching post at the Royal Academy of Music, Chi-chi is a Visiting Fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge. Her numerous honours include the CBE in 2022 and previously the OBE and MBE. Honorary titles include Honorary Fellow of Trinity Laban Conservatoire for Music & Dance, Honorary Doctor of Music from Chichester University, Open University, Kent University, and Cambridge University, and Honorary Bencher at Middle Temple.