Avangeline “Ava” Cossé

Avangeline “Ava” Cossé is 15 years old from Houston, TX.  She began playing violin at 2½ years of age, and currently studies with Mrs. Lisa Shihoten at the Rice University Music Preparatory School.  Ava is a sophomore at J. Frank Dobie High School performing in the Chamber Varsity Orchestra.  This summer, Ava was one of twenty-five students admitted to the esteemed Sphinx Performance Academy at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, PA.  She also attended the Texas Strings Festival in Austin, TX to study with violin professor Mimi Zweig from Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music along with other esteemed faculty.  She consistently receives superior ratings at Texas UIL Solo and Ensemble contests and earned positions in the TMEA Region 19 Orchestra since 2017.  Ava is an Honor Roll student and a member of the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority’s Rhoer club for young women. She is a second time recipient of the James Miles Musical Innovation Grant for Continuing Education Award through the Black Violin Foundation, Inc.  Ava enjoys spending time with her friends, composing/ arranging music, crafting, playing soccer, and spoiling her dog Fermata with treats.