Equally at home with the quirky and the traditional, Dr. Erika (Binsley) Loke is an enthusiastic performer of music new and old. From playing funk melodies over the sound of spaceships and lasers, to providing elegant chamber music for military functions, to commissioning solo works for wagner tuba, she is a versatile hornist and wagner tuba player.
In 2017, Erika joined the US Naval Academy Band, where she is proud to perform with the brass quintet, ceremonial units, and marching band. Prior to enlisting, she freelanced in the Washington D.C. area and completed her DMA studies at the University of Maryland. Still an active freelancer, Erika has performed with the Baltimore Symphony, Alexandria Symphony, Washington Concert Opera, Fairfax Symphony, and the Maryland Lyric Opera. Prior to moving to the east coast, she was a member of the Wichita Symphony and Lieurance Woodwind Quintet, while earning her Master's of Music degree from Wichita State University. As an undergraduate at the University of Southern California, Erika was a member of the YMF Debut Orchestra and she was involved with the Thornton Music Outreach Program. While in school, Erika participated in the Aspen Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, Banff Summer Festival, CCM Spoleto Festival (in Italy), and Kendall Betts' Horn Camp. Erika is passionate about engaging with the membership of the International Horn Society. At the 2015 International Horn Symposium, Erika performed as a contributing artist, as part of the Erika2 Duo, which included the world premiere of Binsley's arrangement of Feldmayer's Concerto No. 1 for two horns and piano. She also presented a lecture entitled, "Why Every Hornist Should Have a Smartphone in the Practice Room." She has written two articles for The Horn Call. In 2016, Erika received a grant from the Meir Rimon Comissioning Assistance Fund towards commissioning Nick Norton’s Gone to the Other Shore, for Wagner Tuba and electronic media. Her primary teachers include: Gregory Miller, Philip Munds, Nicholas Smith, Kristy Morrell, James Thatcher, Steven Gross, and Louise MacGillivray. In her free time, Erika enjoys cooking decadent foods, discussing philosophy, and fixing computers, and well as supporting her husband Tom, the "other" Dr. Loke, in his pediatric cardiology work. |