dika
chartoff
composer
Collector and fuser of acoustic and electronic sounds. Conveyor of feelings and images. Tunesmith of uncommon music.
about
Dika’s music is a sound-designed collage of intimate and introspective images that range from minimalist textures to layered complexity and powerful soundscapes. Her music has been described as a "vivid and eclectic sound journey" that blurs genres into a unique fingerprint. Dika's recent scores include a feature film Corazon Azul (2021), as well as the DGA student award Grand Prize winner and BAFTA-nominated live-action short, Variables. Among her credits are two Sundance selected films; Knife Point and Memories of Overdevelopment, as well the student Academy Award winner, Down in Number 5.
Dika was born and raised in Sarajevo, spent her teenage years in Germany as an inspired refugee, studied and lived in the US and New Zealand; and presently lives with her husband Bill, daughter Jazzy, and their exuberant dog Heidi in Santa Monica, California. She holds a Master's Degree in Music (piano) from the University of Colorado in Boulder where she studied with David Korevaar. She has been mentored by concert composer Robert Paterson and film composer Rob Simonsen.
Dika is a proud member of the Alliance of Women Film Composers (AWFC), American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL), and executive board member of the Music Teachers Association of California (MTAC - West LA).
NEWS
Because of Her - a concert piece for piano, vibraphone, violin, cello, viola, keyboard, and two dynamic sound samples (9 min) - premiere by the American Modern Ensemble
AGE - orchestral reading by the American Modern Orchestra
Dinner Chats - "Minecraft" and "Together" for two pianos (8 min)
June 5th to 25th, 2022 - composer @
MOSTLY MODERN FESTIVAL -Saratoga springs, NY
March to September 2022 - Alliance of women film composers mentorship program 2022
Dika has been selected as a mentee to film composer Rob Simonsen
OCTOBER 21, 2022 BARGEMUSIC, NEW YORK
Premiere of Uncontroling, commissioned by Dave Eggar - a piece for cello, piano and ebow (7 min)
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