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, Europe and India, and performed live on NBC TV and Kansas Public Radio. 2023-24 season highlights include appearances for DACAMERA’s Beethoven for All series at the Menil Collection and Minnesota Orchestra’s summer season; solo recitals for Houston Methodist’s Center for Performing Arts Medicine and Cypress Creek FACE; collaborations with the Concert Truck in Dallas, Florida and Michigan; and an artist residency on the Performance Today Rhone Valley cruise with American Public Media host Fred Child.

A consummate chamber musician as well, Chelsea has performed at La Jolla Summerfest and as a Young Artist Fellow with the DACAMERA Chamber Music and Jazz Series in Houston. She has collaborated with award-winning groups “Alarm Will Sound” and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, and 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 ensemble at museums, colleges and festivals across the US. She tours regularly with her sister, soprano and pianist Chloe de Souza, giving recital and masterclass tours across the globe.

Growing up in Mumbai, India, 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 has toured with soprano Jolie Rocke with their one singer-one pianist production of “Singing Herstory”, which pays h0mage to fourteen pioneering female African-American performers. Her recent lecture-recital presentation titled “The Silk Road,” exploring cultural and musical exchange between East and West, received widespread acclaim in performances across the US and India.

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. Her teachers include Peter Takács, Boris Slutsky and Jon Kimura Parker. She 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 completing her doctorate at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.

Chelsea is the Mitchell Scholar in Residence at Moores School of Music, University of Houston, teaching classes on improvisation and music of the Indian diaspora, and curating interdisciplinary performances. She is the co-founder and Artistic Director of the Houston Music Festival, and a 2024-26 Texas Touring Artist. In her spare time, Chelsea loves exploring cultures through experimenting in the kitchen, just as she does at the piano.