A Chicagoland native, Aleksandr Karjaka spent most of his musical upbringing in Valparaiso, Indiana. Immersed in all the arts at a young age by his parents, Aleks began his formal training at the age of ten. Active within the Valpo music scene by his mid teens, Aleks helped support his musical endeavors with his growing entrepreneurial skills. Fostering an addiction for clarinet and bass clarinet marked a succession of professional gigs by the time he was fifteen as a clarinetist and doubler throughout the MidWest.

An in demand chamber and studio musician, Mr. Karjaka has appeared with American Ballet Theater, Feist, Garden State Philharmonic, Dorian Chamber Ensemble, Lunatics at Large, Tactus Ensemble and the Curiosity Cabinet. No stranger to contemporary music, Karjaka has performed and recorded staples of the contemporary literature by such composers as Louis Andriessen, Alban Berg, De Falla, Jacob Druckman, Jason Eckardt, Whitney George, Jerome Kitzke, David Lang, Tania Leon,  Gyorgi Ligeti, Philippe Manoury, Withold Lutoslawski, Arnold Schoenberg and Igor Stravinsky among others.

Mr. Karjaka holds degrees from Michigan State University, BME, Bowling Green State University, MM. with additional study at the Manhattan School of Music. Mr. Karjaka’s teachers have included Caroline Hartig, Michael Lowenstern, Ted Oien and Kevin Schempf.