Ava Costa

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Hi, I’m Ava Costa – a violinist and the founder of Arturo: Healing Hearts through Music. I began playing the violin in third grade, but even at that young age, it felt like so much more than simply learning an instrument. My violin is now a part of who I am – my voice, my emotional outlet, and the steady grounding I rely on through both joyful and difficult times.

I named my violin Arturo because he truly comes to life in my hands. When I play, it feels as though we are in conversation, translating thoughts and emotions into music. Through every practice session, performance, and quiet moment of playing alone, Arturo has taught me discipline, patience, and how to listen deeply, with both ears and heart.

That is why I began Arturo: Healing Hearts through Music – to offer others that same sense of connection. Our project brings live classical music into hospital oncology wards, providing warmth and comfort to patients undergoing treatment. I wanted to build something that wasn’t just about performing, but about being present - human, compassionate, and intentional.  Every performance is a gift offered with care, because I know from experience that one piece of music, played with heart, can completely change someone’s day.

This work is deeply personal to me. Music has always been my grounding force, and now, with Arturo by my side, I’m honored to use it to help others feel seen, heard, and supported in their healing.

Acclaimed as “one of New Jersey’s favorite musicians,” violist and conductor Dr. Dorothy

Sobieski is widely recognized for her artistry, leadership, and dedication to music education.

Born and raised in Warsaw, Poland, she began her musical journey at the age of seven,

studying violin and later viola at the Karol Szymanowski School of Music. She holds a Master of

Music with Honors from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music—Poland’s oldest and most

prestigious music institution—and earned a second Master of Music from Louisiana State

University, followed by a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Rutgers University.

A recipient of numerous awards and scholarships, Dr. Sobieski’s honors include the

International Primus Inter Pares Award, Best Soloist at the International Bydgoszcz Music

Festival, and scholarships from the Polish Ministry of Culture, the City of Warsaw, and multiple

academic institutions. In the U.S., she was awarded the Graham-Stahl Prize and received the

Ranney School’s prestigious Faculty Panther Prize and Head of School Fellowship.

Dr. Sobieski has performed extensively as a soloist, chamber musician, and conductor across

Europe and the United States. Her collaborations span work with renowned artists such as

Christopher Collins Lee, Grigory Kalinovsky, Vladislav Kovalsky, Elmira Darvarova, and Sam

Magill. She has premiered several contemporary works written for and dedicated to her by

composers Gerald Chenoweth, Timothy Broege, and Gerald Chiusano.

She has held principal viola positions in prominent orchestras in both Poland and the U.S.,

performing under legendary conductors including Witold Lutosławski, Krzysztof Penderecki,

Yehudi Menuhin, and Carl St. Clair. As a conductor and educator, she has directed ensembles

such as the Kean University Preparatory Symphony Orchestra, Georgian Court University String

Orchestra, and multiple Central Jersey Regional Orchestras. Currently, she serves as Artistic

Director of the New Jersey State Youth Orchestra and conductor of its Symphonic Youth

Orchestra.

A passionate advocate for arts education, Dr. Sobieski has made a significant impact at Ranney

School in New Jersey, where she formerly chaired the Performing Arts Department and

continues to lead and grow its all-school orchestra program. She has developed and taught

curricula in AP Music Theory, string pedagogy, music history, and world music, and mentored

countless students—many of whom have received regional and national honors.

Her mentors include some of the most distinguished figures in classical music, such as Michael

Tree, Arnold Steinhardt, Zara Nelsova, Jerzy Kosmala, Wolfram Christ, Paul Coletti, and Yehudi

Menuhin.

Dr. Sobieski is a member of the American String Teachers Association, the National Association

for Music Education, and the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools. She resides in

Wayside, New Jersey, with her husband and three daughters, and performs on a 1995 Hiroshi

Iizuka viola.