Chieko Kinugasa was born in Tokyo, Japan. She began piano and solfeggio lessons at the age of two. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in classical singing at Ferris Women’s University in Kanagawa in 2010 and her Master’s degree in the same subject at Senzoku Gakuen College of Music in Japan in 2013. She lives in Germany since 2016 and studied classical singing with Elena Prokina at the Anton Rubinstein International Music Academy in Düsseldorf until 2018. In October 2018, she began studying vocal pedagogy and elementary music pedagogy at the Cologne University of Music and Dance. In February 2024, she completed her Master’s degree in Early Music Singing at the University of Music in Trossingen with Gundula Anders.
Chieko Kinugasa also completed vocal master classes with Uwe Heilmann, Franz Lukasovsky, Marc Bruce, Matthias Minnich, Dorothea Stamova, Yukako Margaritoff, Klesie Kelly – Moog, Brigitte Lindner and Emma Kirkby, as well as a choral conducting master class with Dénes Szabó. She has also taken song interpretation lessons with Norman Shetler. She has already given recitals and concerts with various a cappella choirs and vocal ensembles in Japan, Germany, Italy and Hungary.
In addition to her own concert activities, she is currently involved in training younger musicians.