Ava Kostia

Artist Statement

St. Moan, my solo music project, evokes a keening sincerity and haunting warmth. From the exploration of life, love, and loss through a queer lens, St. Moan aims to sing from the unspoken threads that connect us. Openheartedness, honesty, and the courage to be vulnerable are core pillars of my artistic practice and inspiration.

Coming from a background of visual art, putting myself on stage and letting my voice be heard was the most terrifying act I could think of. I’ve always been inspired to do what scares me most; it’s what led me to become a musician. Expressing myself as a singer-songwriter and expanding my zone of comfort as an artist has helped me own who I am, share my creative voice, connect to community, and tell the truth.

Having studied musical theatre at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, I utilize my acting experience in my music, writing, and live performance. My ability to speak through the lens of a character has led me to perform, write, and direct for stage and screen productions across the U.S. and UK. Exploration of imagination and character also grounds my inner voice and expression of grief.

I aspire to always expand as a musician and to do what scares me most; dare to be honest, to be seen, to be truly alive and present as I share my music.

This performance is an extension of a body of work I’ve been building around loss. I wrote these songs working through my grief and I want to share them to create an open and communal space for that grief to be held and to hold others. To me, grief is ultimately an expression of love.

I’ve been learning and germinating in this exploration for over 10 years and recently have been beginning to share these songs, which form the basis of my upcoming album.

Technical elements of my performance: I will bring my electric guitar, guitar amp, effect pedals, mic and mic stand, and vocal amp. I will need an outlet to plug into (I will bring a 6 foot extension cord) and an armless chair (ie: folding chair) if possible. Number of performers: one.

I'm available for either the March 20th or April 3rd performance dates.