BIO

  Sterling Cozza is a pianist originally from Sacramento, California. He has been playing piano since age 5, and has always had a passion for music growing up in a musical household. He began performing abroad in his adolescent years at events such as the Essentially Ellington Festival at Lincoln Center, the Charles Mingus Festival, and the Monterey Jazz Festival. He began his private study with Joseph Gilman, the previous artistic director of the Brubeck Institute at University of the Pacific. 

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         Sterling went on to study at the Eastman School of Music under the tutelage of Harold Danko, Bill Dobbins, and Gary Versace. In 2017, he had the honor of taking part in a tour of Japan with the Eastman Jazz Sextet, culminating in a performance at the Tokyo Jazz Festival. That same year, he released his first album entitled “Letters Home.” Since then, he has co-produced two projects entitled “R.O.C. Jazz Collective, Vol. 1” and “S.M.F. Jazz Collective, Vol. 2” which feature a mix of jazz standards and original music. He recently celebrated the release of "The Lockdown Sessions," a full-length solo piano album featuring selections from his solo piano livestreams.  

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          Sterling has shared the stage with the likes of Gary Bartz, Donny McCaslin,  Stefon Harris, Eddie Gomez, Benny Benack III, the Charles Mingus Big Band, members of the Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and more. He currently lives and works in Manhattan, NYC, where he recently completed a master's degree at the Manhattan School of Music. This year he looks forward to continuing to perform at venues in the NYC area while working on his next recording project set to release in 2026.