Born into a musical family in rural, northern Wisconsin, Heidi began her piano studies as early as four years old and harp studies at seven years. Through her years of musical training, she eventually took up studies in voice, oboe, organ, jazz piano, saxophone, mallet percussion, and guitar. She started composing at the age of 18 and fully began her composition training her junior year of college. She earned degrees in composition from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire (BM) and Roosevelt University – Chicago College of Performing Arts (MM). Her previous composition instructors include Stacy Garrop, Kyong Mee Choi, Ethan Wickman, and Chia-Yu Hsu, and J. Michael Roy.
An avid lover of works for the stage and screen, Heidi’s music is heavily influenced by romantic opera, contemporary musical theatre, and film and television scores. With over 150 original compositions to her name, she enjoys writing for a multitude of genres, such as vocal, choral, opera, chamber, musical theatre, solo piano, and wind ensemble. She has received commissions from many of her fellow performer colleagues as well as the Gaudete Brass Quintet, Bach + Beethoven Experience, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire Wind Symphony, Women’s Concert Chorale, Wind Symphony, Singing Statesmen, Rice Lake Municipal Band, Platteville (WI) School District, Columbus (WI) High School, Beaver Dam (WI) High School, Lakeland All-Conference Honors Choir. Her award-winning music has been performed across the United States, Canada, and Europe. Recent performances include Take My Hand by the Gaudete Brass Quintet, Four Sacred Settings by the UWEC Women’s Concert Chorale, Distracted by Nick Phillips as part of his #45Miniatures project, Deus Noster Refugium by the UWEC Singing Statesmen, Gaudete Omnes by the UWEC Symphonic Choir and Wind Ensemble. Recent musical theatre compositions include The Bone Harp with Laura Stratford, which premiered with a sold-out first reading at the 2019 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, and Queer Eye: the Musical Parody with Evan Mills, which had a nearly-sold out workshop run at The Playground in Spring of 2019.
Heidi is also a highly sought-after music director and arranger. In addition to accompanying both local ensembles and various musical theatre productions and rehearsals at the high school, collegiate, and community levels, she has arranged music for ensembles for the Peppermint Patties, Cameron School District, Red Cedar Chorus, and for several UWEC a capella groups, as well as served as a music assistant / orchestral librarian for The Who’s Moving On! 2019 international stadium tour. She has been serving as the composer in residence and music director for operatic improv group Forte Chicago since 2016, and is currently serving as the music director and orchestrator for Reddyk & Krupp’s Hildegard: An Unfinished Revolution.
In addition to her work as a composer and music director / arranger, Heidi is an active performer in the greater Chicago area. Heidi has performed all over the greater Midwest with a myriad of regional talent. Most recently, she premiered 13 of her original works during her debut cabaret Cheaper Than Therapy in August of 2018 at Davenport’s Piano Bar in Chicago, which also featured fifteen Chicago and New York-area artists. She returned to Davenport’s in October 2019 for her follow-up show, Heidi Joosten Ruins The Things You Love, which featured some of Heidi’s favorite (and least favorite) works in the musical theatre repertoire. Her accomplishments as a vocalist are complemented by her proficiency as a solo pianist; her debut solo piano album Winter Meditations was released in December of 2018 and is available for purchase on Bandcamp. She will also be performing Rhapsody in Blue in April at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire at Barron County Communiversity Ensemble under the baton of her father, Michael Joosten. Heidi also loves performing on stage, most recently portraying Natalie Goodman in the Eau Claire Children’s Theatre production of Next to Normal and Eponine Thenardier in Northern Star Theatre Company’s production of Les Miserables.
In the free time she has, Heidi enjoys making friends with the dogs that live in her building. She is a proud member of ASCAP, Pi Kappa Lambda, International Alliance for Women in Music, and the American Composers Forum.
