Canadian soprano/violinist Heather De Souza has performed as an actress, singer, and musician in Ontario, Canada; London, England; and most recently Chicago, Illinois. As a versatile character actress, Heather has sung a wide variety of ages and roles, from humorous Leila (Iolanthe), to ingénue Hodel (Fiddler on the Roof), from to impish young Hansel (Hansel and Gretel) and ethereal Philodel (King Arthur), to temptress Phoebe (Yeoman of the Guard). Recent performances as soprano soloist include the French music of Debussy, Fauré, Offenbach with the Tiny Mahler Orchestra, and Duruflé Requiem with the Roehampton University Singers. As a violinist, Heather has performed everything from jazz, to fiddle, to pop, to classical. She improvises regularly with the jazz combo “The Panda Feathers”, and plays frequently onstage and in pit orchestras for musicals and operas such as Dido and Aeneas, West Side Story, and Candide. Heather studied violin, piano, and voice from an early age through Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music. She received her (Honors) Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from the University of Western Ontario. She is also a passionate arts educator, and completed a Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University, in its unique and prestigious Artist in the Community Education program. Heather performs and directs children’s musical theatre in Chicago for numerous independent theatres, and teaches private voice, violin, piano, and trumpet lessons at BackBeat Music Instruction.
HEATHER DE SOUZA
soprano | violin