India-born Chloe de Souza is an accomplished musician with the unique gift of connecting with audiences as both a pianist and singer. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in music in 2018 at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio, USA, majoring in Piano and Vocal Performance under the tutelage of Cliburn gold medalist Stanislav Ioudenitch and voice professor Marlene Rosen. She is currently pursuing her graduate studies in Piano Performance as the recipient of the Cecile Staub Genhart Scholarship at the Eastman School of Music, studying with Boris Slutsky and Marina Lomazov.
De Souza is a versatile performer, with numerous appearances in India, Paris, Oberlin, Cleveland and Florida in solo recitals and charity events to her credit. Her most recent performance was at the Columbia Museum of Art at the 2019 Southeastern Piano festival, where she also served on the young jury for the Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition. She has been a frequent performer at the Con Brio Piano Festival in Mumbai, India for the past three years. She gave a piano and voice recital at the Kendal Retirement Community for Make Music Cleveland in 2017, and has been a frequent soloist at the “M.U.S.i.C – Stars in the Classics” concert series held in Cleveland for the past few years. Other notable performances in the US include being a featured soloist in Oberlin Conservatory’s Kurt Weill-style Cabaret as a singer, and in Schnittke’s Concerto Grosso with Oberlin’s Contemporary Music Ensemble as a pianist.De Souza has toured India, giving recitals and masterclasses, including a performance at the Mrs. World Beauty Pageant and a recital of sacred vocal music at the 2015 Monte Music Festival inGoa. Her earlier accomplishments include having completed her L.T.C.L. (Licentiate of the Trinity College of Music, London) diploma at the age of 17. She was a winner at the 2011MusiQuest All-India Piano Competition, as well as the first place winner of the 2012 Con Brio All-India Piano Competition. De Souza has had the privilege of working with renowned musicians including Peter Frankl, Stephen Kovacevich, Tamas Vasary, and Marc Neikrug.
A musician with extensive collaborative pursuits as well, de Souza has conducted and accompanied choirs and performers for competitions and events both in India and abroad, and holds an accompanying and chamber music assistantship at the Eastman School of Music. She has also developed an interest in educating young musicians, most notably as the piano teacher for Oberlin Conservatory’s Autistic Scholarship Program since its inception. Inspired by the diversity of audiences she has connected with through her performances, De Souza continues to take her musical endeavors beyond the concert hall, through salon concerts and outreach in retirement homes, churches, and schools.