Nwanoku include being a board member of the National Youth Orchestra, Tertis Foundation, London Music Fund, Royal Philharmonic Society (Council), was previously on Association of British Orchestras board, is Patron of Music Preserved, the Cherubim Trust. Nwanoku was a guest of BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs on 11 February 2018. In 2019, Nwanoku opened the new site of Hackney New Primary School, a specialist music school for children. She presented a 6-part radio show on Classic FM in October 2020 called Chi-chi's Classical Champions, a programme highlighting the music of contemporary and historical composers of Black, Asian and ethnically diverse heritage. A second series was broadcast in 2021. Nwanoku is based in London and has two children. Honours, awards and recognition Nwanoku was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2001 Birthday Honours for services to music, Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to music and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to music and diversity. In addition, she has been made an Honorary Fellow of both the Royal Academy of Music and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music. In 2018 the BBC Woman's Hour placed Nwanoku ninth in a list of the world's most powerful women in music and she has also been listed in the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 Powerlist of the most influential Black Britons of the year. References External links Chineke! Foundation official website "Musician Chi-chi Nwanoku discussing her life and work on Talking Africa". YouTube video 12 May 2015. Chi-chi Nwanoku profile page at The Guardian Classical double-bassists Living people Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 1956 births Black British classical musicians English people of Nigerian descent English people of Irish descent English double-bassists English classical double-bassists 21st-century double-bassists 20th-century double-bassists 21st-century classical musicians 20th-century classical musicians 21st-century English musicians 20th-century English musicians 21st-century English women musicians 20th-century English women musicians Women double-bassists Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Academics of the Royal Academy of Music People educated at Kendrick School Musicians from London People from Fulham