Annika is an organist, violist, and pianist, born and raised in the Chicago area. She is currently the Director of Worship and Music at Lutheran Church of the Atonement, where she began as an assistant in 2019 (25 years after her father completed his internship at Atonement). Previously, she held music leadership positions at various Lutheran churches in the Chicago suburbs as well as Oberlin, OH.
Outside of church, Annika has a busy career as a violist. While sitting principal of the DePaul Symphony Orchestra, she won a position in the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, and now regularly subs with orchestras such as Elgin Symphony and Oistrakh Symphony. She enjoys working as a teacher and has coached at middle schools, conducted youth orchestras, and even had the opportunity to teach at a summer festival in Panama.
Annika enjoys a variety of musical projects. She has presented in elementary schools, directed high school musicals, accompanied graduate recitals on piano, and written training programs for choristers, to name a few. At home, Annika likes to exercise, watch TV, and train her cat, Fullerton.
Annika graduated from Oberlin Conservatory with a Bachelor’s in viola performance, studying with Michael Strauss, and a minor in organ performance, studying with Jonathan Moyer. She holds a Master’s and Performance Certificate in viola from DePaul University, where she studied with Rami Solomonow, Paul Neubauer, and Wei-Ting Kuo.