Nicolette Sullivan-Cozza, violist

Nicolette Marie Sullivan-Cozza, age 17, began studying the viola at the age of 4. She currently studies with Kerri Ryan, the assistant principal of the Philadelphia Orchestra and takes monthly lessons with Peter Slowik at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Miss Sullivan-Cozza has participated in, and won numerous competitions including first prize in the Delaware Concerto Competition for Young Musicians, the IU Jacobs School of Music Summer String Academy Concerto Competition, and the Catholic University of America Young Artist Competition. She has also placed in competitions such as the Fredericksburg Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Concerto Competition, the American Protege International Piano, and Strings competition, the Newark Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Concerto Competition, and was selected as one of the six finalists of the 2016 American Viola Society Biannual Solo Competition. In addition, she is also recipient of the Sphinx MPower Grant and the Coastal Concerts Scholarship. She is currently the Associate Principal of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, is in a piano quintet as part of the Temple Music Preparatory Center for Gifted Young Musicians, is a Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth (PMAY) artist and a Primavera artist. She attends the Cab Calloway School of the Arts where she is a distinguished honors student and a member of The National Honor Society. 

Music has always been her passion. Miss Sullivan-Cozza aspires to be an orchestral musician and music teacher and with the help of the Primavera Fund, she has been given the opportunity to receive high quality private lessons from Kerri Ryan, the Assistant Principal Violist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, in addition to financial support in all of her musical activities such as The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and Temple Music Prep.