Ernest started his musical journey at age 9 in Nigeria when he first picked up the violin. He trained in classical violin with renowned teachers like Rachel Barton-Pine (USA), Sir Godfrey Amoah (Ghana), and Thomas Kanitz (Germany). As he grew, Ernest’s interests shifted toward contemporary styles, especially jazz violin. His 2008 performance at the HipHop World Awards in Lagos with producer Cobhams Asuquo highlighted the violin as a soulful instrument, breaking traditional boundaries.
In 2012, Ernest was part of the Nigerian contingent at the “African Showcase” of SXSW. That year, he also released his debut recording, “Bumble Bee,” with Nigerian rapper IBK, also known as “Spaceshipboi.” The track, inspired by Rimsky Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumble Bee,” topped the charts on Detroit’s “Angels of Melody” radio show for a month. In July 2013, Ernest became the first Nigerian to earn a performance diploma with distinction from the Associate Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) in London. The Venture Career Journal Nigeria hailed him as “arguably Africa’s foremost contemporary violinist.”
Ernest has opened for major artists like Mike Stern, Marcus Johnson, Marsha Ambrosius, and Anita Baker. His innovative teaching methods earned him a scholarship to the Mark O’Connor Fiddle Camp in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2013. He later received a scholarship to complete his master’s at McNally Smith College of Music, where he studied jazz improvisation with Randy Sabien and Pete Whitman, and classical violin with Daria T. Adams. He also obtained a master’s in Elementary Education from the University of St. Thomas.
From 2021 to 2022, Ernest was a MacPhail Global Music Initiative Grant recipient. He holds teaching licenses from the University of St. Thomas and teaches instrumental music in the Minneapolis Public School district. As a member of the acclaimed Minneapolis String Project, Ernest performs a mix of jazz, fusion, soul, and world music, dazzling audiences with his improvisational skills and creativity.
Currently, Ernest teaches upper strings and digital music at Walker West Music Academy and curates the Rondo Community Music Series. His contributions continue to shape the contemporary music scene, both in Nigeria and abroad.