INICIO is, inspired.

Lois Henry has an extensive background as a composer, pianist (solo and collaborative), organist, coach, and conductor. In 2019 she was commissioned by the Kukua Institute to write and perform in a song cycle for five opera singers and piano entitled Viola! Song Cycle.  Viola! premiered at the University of West Florida, and is based on the story of Viola Edwards, a trained nurse who opened the first black hospital in Pensacola in 1922. After its success, Lois was commissioned by soprano Kara Grover to compose another song cycle entitled, BELLESONGS, on the texts of Colorado poet Belle Turnbull. BELLESONGS premiered at Florida State University in 2021. As a composer, her works span vocal, and choral music for colleges, high schools, churches, soloists and concert halls.

A staple in Florida’s classical music scene as a performer and educator, Lois was Professor of Music at Northwest Florida State College until 2019 where she conducted the Chorale and Belle Voci (the college’s select women’s ensemble), taught piano, voice, and music theory, and performed numerous solo piano faculty recitals. As an orchestral conductor, she served as interim music director and conductor of the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra (NFSO) where she has performed as a solo pianist and organist and currently is principal pianist. In addition, she spent more than 20 years working in the Boston area, where she taught at Eastern Nazarene College, served as pianist, organist and frequently as chorus master for Chorus pro Musica, under the direction of Donald Palumbo.

Ms. Henry is a sought-after collaborative pianist, working and performing with world renowned opera tenor Lawrence Brownlee as well as a myriad of other artists. Since 2008 she has performed each year as pianist with Florida All-State choirs and has appeared at the Southern Invitational Choral Festival at the University of Southern Mississippi. In addition, Ms. Henry is a frequent adjudicator for piano, vocal, and choral assessments throughout Florida and is the Director of Music at St. Jude’s Episcopal Church in Niceville, FL.