“If there is any piano that makes me feel truly at home - like a true musician, strong enough to create magic through sound - it is the Steinway. I fell in love with Steinway pianos the very first time I played on one, and they will remain my constant companion on the concert stage.”
Known for her dynamic artistry and thought-provoking recital programming, Indian pianist Chelsea de Souza is a Steinway Young Artist equally at home in the worlds of traditional and new music. Described as “fierce and focused” (rediff), with “an alluring stage presence” (The Hindu), she has appeared in concert as a soloist and chamber musician across the US, Belgium, France, Germany and India performed live on NBC TV and Kansas Public Radio. 2022-23 season highlights include recitals for Minnesota Orchestra’s summer season, Houston Methodist’s Center for Performing Arts Medicine, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Rothko Chapel, Menil Collection and Cypress Creek FACE; performances with New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck for Artists at the Center; presentations at the 2023 National Opera Association Conference; and a commissioning Project Grant from New Music USA and the world premiere of a new work by composer Nicky Sohn.
A consummate chamber musician as well, Chelsea has performed at La Jolla Summerfest and as a Young Artist Fellow with Houston's DACAMERA Chamber Music and Jazz Series. She has collaborated with award-winning groups “Alarm Will Sound” and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, the contemporary ensembles at Oberlin Conservatory, the Peabody Institute and the Shepherd School. A committed performer of music by living composers, she has commissioned and premiered numerous works for solo piano and small ensembles at museums, colleges and festivals across the US. Together with her sister, soprano and pianist Chloe de Souza, she has given recital and masterclass tours across several cities in India.
Growing up in Mumbai, Chelsea’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 through her versatile, genre-defying artistry. She was part of Oberlin’s Performance and Improvisation Series exploring jazz and world music for two years, including a Young Artist Residency with the Detroit String and Wind Society and performances at Cleveland Orchestra’s Severance Hall. She tours regularly with soprano Jolie Rocke with their one singer-one pianist production of “Singing Herstory”, which pays homage to fourteen pioneering female African - American performers.
Chelsea draws inspiration from the diverse artists she has worked with, including classical greats such as Leon Fleisher, Andras Schiff and Richard Goode, Grammy-award-winning popular groups like the Punch Brothers and Snarky Puppy, and international musicians like Israeli jazz pianist-composer Alon Yavnai and Palestinian-American oud player Simon Shaheen. A singer as well, Chelsea was co-director of Oberlin’s longest-running all-female a cappella group ‘Nothing But Treble’. A finalist of the 2021 Concert Artists Guild Emerging Artist Competition, Chelsea has won four All-India piano competitions, the IIYM International Piano Competition, the Oberlin Concerto Competition, the Global Scholar-Education World Young Achievers Award in Music and Arts, and second prizes at the 2020 Young Texas Artists and the 2019 Cranbrook Music Guild Emerging Artist competitions. She is now pursuing her doctorate at the Shepherd School of Rice University with Jon Kimura Parker, where she also teaches classes in music theory and hybrid music of the Indian diaspora.
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