Hi, I’m Lisa Lenke Sousa—composer, horn player, lyricist, and passionate researcher of music and the stories it tells.
My musical journey began at age two, enchanted by the sounds of classical records and live performances. By seven, I was fully drawn to music, inspired by live performances and the examples of my older sister and brother, both professional musicians who made the stage feel like home. I started learning the cornet at age ten, and two years later, I picked up the horn, which became my expressive voice.
I was fortunate to attend a high school with a championship band program, where our directors and private music teachers expected excellence, and they also nurtured artistry. That experience laid the foundation for my formal studies at Eastern Washington University, where I earned both my Bachelor of Music and master’s degree in music. My education was enriched by additional study with legendary musicians Philip Farkas and Gunther Schuller, whose insights continue to shape my approach to performance and composition, and allowed me to teach a few master classes throughout the northwest and Canada while our band was on concert tours.
I’ve performed with regional symphonies like the Walla Walla Symphony from 1994-1996, the Mid-Columbia Symphony in 1994, and the Coeur d’ Alene Symphony since 2005. The Spokane Civic Theater in 2016 and the Royal Fireworks Band in 1994 and 2019. I competed nationally with the Spokane British Brass Band with the cornet and competed as a soloist on the tenor horn in 2003 and 2005. I continue to play the cornet in the band today. My years in a church music ministry from 1994 to 2013 helped me connect faith with melody, and my curiosity has grown into a broader interest in learning about different religions and cultures—how they shape people, stories, and art.
I especially love researching composers and their works—discovering where they were emotionally and geographically when they wrote a piece, what inspired them, and how the premiere unfolded. I believe every composition carries a story waiting to be told, and I find joy in sharing those stories through program notes, lyrics, and visual storytelling.
If you’re drawn to music that speaks to the soul and stories that honor legacy, welcome—I’m glad you’re here.