Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, Ken Lila Ashanti began her musical studies with piano at the age of 3 with her mother then in Yayasan Pendidikan Musik (YPM) Music Conservatory Indonesia . Inspired by her violinist grandfather, she started playing the violin at the age of 13 with Inge Karjadi in YPM music conservatory where she got first prizes and prizes for outstanding performances. In 2003, she pursues her violin studies with Adidharma Widjaja. After only 4 years of violin studies, she was nominated as a concertmaster in Twilite Youth Orchestra Indonesia where she debuted her solo performance and a year later she represented Indonesia in South East Asian Youth Orchestra (SAYOWE) in Thailand as one of the first violinists. During these years, she was a member of professional orchestras such as Nusantara Symphony Orchestra (NSO) conducted by Hikotaro Yazaki.

These experiences have given her an opportunity to meet Atsuko Watanabe and study with her in the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Departemental du Val de Bièvre, Paris in 2008. 
A year later, she obtained her diploma and during years later she works with many eminent teachers such as Ivry Gitlis,Dong Suk Kang, Pierre Amoyal, Christian Altenburger, Marienne Piketty, Amandine Beyer, Valery Gradow, Viktor Pikayzen, György Pauk, Itzhak Rashkovsky, Gunars Larsens, Monika Urbaniak, Mayumi Seiler, Benjamin Schmid and Mauricio Fuks. She obtained a master of music performance degree at La Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne, Switzerland and a second master with distinction (prize of excellence) in violin pedagogy in Hochschule der Künste in Bern, Switzerland. 

During her musical journey in Europe, she has won many competitions such as International Music Competition Leopold Bellan (Paris) and International Music Competition Vittoria Caffa Rigetti (Italy).

 

She participates in many orchestra projects, such as Bienne Symphony Orchestra, Rhone Alpes Opera, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, New European Philharmonic Orchestra. She also conducts the Orchestre de Chambre des étudiants de Lausanne as a concertmaster, soloist and conductor. Furthermore, she performed in several Music Festivals such as Festival Progetto Martha Argerich in Lugano and Festival Cully Classique. She is also one of the founders of SVARA Duo.

Ken Lila Ashanti is actively performing in solo, chamber music and orchestral concerts. Her repertoire ranges from the Baroque period to the contemporary. Besides performing, she dedicates equally her passion for pedagogic activities. She frequently gives pedagogical seminars to several music schools and conservatories and is often invited as guest teacher for masterclasses and jury for international competitions. She is currently the director and founder of Arca Musica Music School in Préverenges, Switzerland together with her husband.