Chelsea de Souza

Concert pianist Chelsea de Souza is a Steinway Young Artist internationally acclaimed for her dynamic artistry and thought-provoking recital programming. A Houston transplant born and raised in Mumbai, India, the four-time All-India Piano Competition winner brings together a diverse range of musical influences from Western and Indian classical to jazz in her versatile, genre-defying artistry. A captivating performer and lecturer with “an alluring stage presence” (The Hindu), she weaves together personal anecdotes, historical context and musical improvisation to create immersive concert experiences that are universally appealing. Recent season highlights include appearances for DACAMERA’s Beethoven for All series at the Menil Collection; a live improvisation recital-experiment in collaboration with the University of Houston IUCRC BRAIN Center; and an artist residency on the Performance Today Rhone Valley cruise with American Public Media host Fred Child. 

Growing up in Mumbai, de Souza’s musical roots were grounded in a blend of western classical and popular styles. Now she strives to explore issues of identity and culture in her performances, most recently in her lecture-recital project “The Silk Road.” An eclectic program of Indian and Western classical composers that traces musical exchange between East and West, it has received high praise on tour across the U.S. and India. She tours regularly with soprano Dr. Jolie Rocke with their one singer-one pianist production of “Singing Herstory,” which pays homage to 14 pioneering female African American performers. She is also involved in an ongoing cross-disciplinary research project between composer Anthony Brandt and the University of Houston IUCRC BRAIN Center, involving EEG-based brain interfacing during live performances of improvised music. 

A consummate chamber musician, de Souza has performed at La Jolla Summerfest, for the DACAMERA Chamber Music and Jazz Series in Houston, and with award-winning groups Alarm Will Sound and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. A committed performer of music by living composers, she has commissioned and premiered numerous works for solo piano and small ensemble at museums, colleges and festivals across the U.S., and is a core member of Houston-based new music collective Loop38. She is the co-founder and artistic director of Houston Music Festival, which reimagines traditional and contemporary chamber music through interdisciplinary collaboration.  

De Souza holds bachelor’s degrees in politics and in piano performance and vocal accompanying from Oberlin College and Conservatory, and a master’s degree from the Peabody Institute of Music. She is now pursuing her doctorate at the Shepherd School of Rice University with Jon Kimura Parker. She is currently Mitchell Center Scholar in Residence in Moores School of Music at the University of Houston, teaching classes in improvisation and music of the Indian diaspora, and curating interdisciplinary performances. In her spare time, she loves exploring cultures through experimenting in the kitchen, just as she does at the piano.