Rizky is a PhD student in ethnomusicology. Prior to his studies at the University of Pittsburgh, he earned his MA degree in Performing Arts and Visual Arts Studies from Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He completed another MA degree at the University of Pittsburgh (2019). His thesis, entitled Aksi – A Soundscape of Political Protest in Indonesia, 1998, which examines the soundscape of protests in Indonesia that led to the fall of ex-president Soeharto in 1998. In 2019 he participated in a workshop on acoustemology led by Steven Feld organized by Johannes Gutenberg University, in Mainz, Germany. In the same year he presented papers on the topic of decolonization from the perspective of international students at the International Council of Traditional Music World Conference in Bangkok, and the Society for Ethnomusicology conference in Bloomington, Indiana. Currently, he is working towards his doctoral degree with his planned research on the indie and underground music scenes in Indonesia.

Rizky is a singer/songwriter of Indonesia indie rock band Risky Summerbee & the Honeythief. Since 2008 the band has released three studio albums, one live cassette album, and performed at various gigs and music festivals in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, and Australia. He is also a member of a Teater Garasi/Garasi Performance Institute, a contemporary theater group based in Yogyakarta. Between 2009-2017 he organized a music program “Live at Teater Garasi” facilitating performances of Indonesia and global independent musicians and bands.