About
Annika is an organist, violist, director, and teacher.
Annika is currently the Director of Worship and Music at Lutheran Church of the Atonement in Barrington, Illinois (ELCA). She serves as the organist and choir director, and enjoys finding and arranging inspiring organ music and hymns for worship each week. Annika has earned the Colleague Certification from the American Guild of Organists, and has played recitals in Chicago and Cleveland. Before Atonement, Annika was the organist at Grace Lutheran Church in Oberlin, Ohio and keyboardist at Peace Lutheran Church in Lake Zurich, Illinois (her father’s church where she began at age 14). In 2021, Annika was accepted to the Master’s program Organ and Related Keyboard Instruments at Gothenburg University in Sweden, though she did not attend due to the high expense of graduate school in Europe! Annika earned a minor in Organ Performance under Jonathan Moyer during her time at Oberlin Conservatory.
Organ
Annika has been a freelance violist in Chicagoland since returning there for graduate school in 2016. She was a section violist in the Rockford Symphony from 2018-2025, and has played with the Elgin, Northbrook, and Oistrakh Symphonies. Annika earned a B.M. in Viola Performance at Oberlin Conservatory under Michael Strauss. She earned her M.M. and Post-Master’s Performance Certificate at DePaul University under Rami Solomonow, Paul Neubauer, and Wei-Ting Kuo.
Viola
Annika began her private studio in high school and has continued since! She enjoys teaching viola, violin, and piano (and hopefully someday organ) to children of all ages, and is comfortable with many genres and teaching methods, including special methods for neurodivergent students. Annika spent a year as the conductor of the Sinfonietta Orchestra of the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestras, and conducted multiple musicals with Cricket Theater Company, including West Side Story. Throughout her career, Annika has written programs that help kids connect with classical music, most recently in 2025 with a presentation introducing children to the different sounds of the organ.
Teaching & Directing
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