Dr. Ty Chiko
Originally from the Islands of The Bahamas, Dr. Ty Chiko has been an international performance artist, visual artist, entrepreneur, and disability advocate for over two decades. He has received recognition from the U.S. Embassy in The Bahamas, along with the Bahamas Independence Committee, and is listed as one of the country's Top 40 Under 40.
Ty leverages the power of music and art as tools for advocacy and social change, focusing on promoting inclusivity, accessibility, and equity for people with disabilities, youth, and older adults. Currently, he serves as the Director of Vocal Music at Interlochen Center for the Arts.
As a vocalist, Ty has appeared as the soloist in The Magnificent Pretty Boy, a work commissioned by the Houston Grand Opera with the Grant Wallace Band, Mahler’s Leider Eines Fahrenden Gesellen, at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Gammage Auditorium, The New Mexico Film Festival, Leonard Bernstein’s Centennial at The Academy for the Love of Learning led by mentee of Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Stern, Adventures in the Arts National Organization (Bahamas), and the Bahamas National Youth Choir. As a former member of the Bahamas National Youth Choir, he performed across the United States, U.K., Europe, and South Africa.
In 2021, Chiko competed as a finalist in the renowned Lotte Lenya Competition through the Kurt Weill Foundation in New York City. He was also awarded first prizes in the Arizona State University Concerto Competition and Vocal Artistry Song Competition.
In 2023, Ty was the Music Director for Portland Center Stage’s production of Hair in Portland, Oregon, which received rave reviews from Broadway World, Willamette Week, Oregon ArtsWatch, and Portland Mercury.
Ty appeared on albums, recordings, news stations, magazines, and podcasts, including collaborations with State Farm and The Player’s Tribune, National Public Radio (NPR), Amplitude Magazine, StyleZine Magazine (Bahamas), Jumpin’ Jacob (short film), ‘Gratitude’ album by renowned conductor and composer, Brian Demaris, ‘Malted’ podcast through Columbia University, and the new work Se Levanta by composer Raquel Acevedo Klein.
Ty’s advocacy work shows up through research and community engagement initiatives. He served as the inaugural Musician-in-Residence Coordinator at Mirabella at ASU Senior Living Community. The program has won awards for innovation from both the Mather Institute and Leading Age Arizona. For over 7 years, Ty volunteered as a lead camp counselor for the Amputee Coalition of America Paddy Rossbach Summer Youth Camp. His current research is titled ‘Cultivating Inclusivity: Exploring How Universities, Performing Arts Institutions, Disability Advocacy Groups, and the Wider Community Can Develop Accessible Theater Spaces for People Living with Disabilities.’
Ty loves baking and was also the owner and operator of the micro-bakery, Broken Breadhaus, which received an honorable mention award from the World Bread Awards in 2021.
As a visual artist, Ty primarily designs graphite and charcoal portraiture that highlights the beauty of the human form.