Heather Headley will Speak at 2025 SoC Convocation Ceremony

The Northwestern University School of Communication will hit a high note this spring when Tony and Grammy Award-winning singer and actor Heather Headley (C96) presides over graduates as their 2025 Convocation speaker.

Headley, whose remarkable career has spanned screen and stage, will join Dean E. Patrick Johnson in celebrating SoC’s Class of 2025 on Saturday, June 14 at 9 a.m. at the Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston. 

Born and reared on the Caribbean island of Trinidad (and later Indiana), Headley developed a love of music that blossomed in the churches where her father preached. She studied music theatre at Northwestern under emeritus professor Dominic Missimi but left in 1996, her junior year, when she won a spot as Audra McDonald’s understudy in the original Toronto production of the musical Ragtime, directed by the late performance studies professor emeritus Frank Galati (C65, GC67, GC71).

Mere months later, she was originating the role of Nala in Broadway’s The Lion King. Her next role was another big one—the eponymous lead in Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida—which garnered her at the age of 25 a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Other stage roles include The Bodyguard in London’s West End, The Color Purple on Broadway, and Into the Woods at New York City Center.

In addition to her theatre work, Headley has enjoyed a successful recording career, with a 2009 Grammy win for her album Audience of One and nominations for her 2002 album This Is Who I Am.

Television, too, is under Headley’s spell: she is a lead on the Netflix series Sweet Magnolias, was a series regular on Chicago Med, and had a supporting role in the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect (written by Tracey Scott Wilson, SoC’s Barbara Berlanti Professor for Screen and Stage).

“Heather has been on the top of my convocation wish list since becoming dean,” said E. Patrick Johnson, dean of the School of Communication. “Her career success is staggering, and her talents are immeasurable, but I’m most charmed by her warmth, passion, and grace. The SoC Class of 2025 is in for a real treat.”

Headley is married to fellow Wildcat Brian Musso (SESP98), a former New York Jets wide receiver and the co-founder of Promus Holdings. They have three children together.