Lisa Westerhout grew up in Canada, and at 15 had her own piano teaching practice in rural Quebec before moving to England and studying piano at the Royal College of Music.

Some years later she turned to classical singing, studying at Morley College in London and with Geraldine Frank and David Coussell. She has since sung recitals, opera, operetta, oratorio and music theatre in the UK, Germany and France, working with pianists Irene Tait, Schubert specialist Joan Robinson, organist Dr. Robert Manning, with companies Proteus Theatre, Richmond Opera, Caledon Singers, with the English chorus for Opera de Lyon’s world premiere of Debussy’s ‘Rodrigue et Chimene’, and as session singer for classical and pop recordings.

With actor Matthew Dexter she formed ‘Oyster Productions’ singing cabaret and music theatre in country house hotels.

As composer Lisa has written for many regional theatre productions, and theatre companies including the Oxford Shakespeare Co., ReCreation, Bold and Saucy, and The Globe (touring), working as MD with directors and playwrights, among them, Andrea Montgomery, Sarah Davey- Hull, Kevin Hosier, Roy Marsden, Ron Pember and Peter and Barbara Bridgmont.

Lisa has also written music for talking books, short films, and choirs.

Lisa has always been a keen teacher, running the “What You Always Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask” music courses with Dr. Robert Manning, the ‘Chocolate Cake’ Choir Workshops with Alex Chaplin.

She taught score reading at Mountview Academy, and Royal Central School of Speech and Drama as well as solo singing and music theory for many years at London’s Morley College, where Michael Natkanski was one of her students.

Presently living in rural Wales, Lisa started the Pontardawe based First Time Choir (now ‘Cor Con Brio’), who among their exploits, premiered the song ‘The Bird That was Trapped’ by Welsh composer Oli Wilson Dickson for the company The Devil’s Violin.

Lisa also recently worked as MD with both Olivier nominated playwright-composer Neil Anthony Docking and director Maxine Evans (‘The Revlon Girl’).

She is currently involved with emerging community choral music projects, and continues to direct Cor Con Brio.