ABOUT OLIVIA
Olivia Cosío, Ed.M., M.M., is an educator, singer, and curriculum designer whose research and practice focus on the role of the arts in contributing to community well-being and improving educational outcomes.
She is the co-founder and principal of the consulting firm Sounds that Carry, which specializes in the revitalization of social impact programs for arts organizations through assessment, curriculum design, and teaching artist training. Her impactful work in creative placemaking and youth development has garnered attention and recognition, with features in publications such as Psychology Today and Opera Canada, as well as live speaking events such as the Berklee College of Music Career Jam, Juilliard Entrepreneurship Symposium, and the Chamber Music America National Conference.
Recently, she designed a six-week chamber music curriculum featuring living composers of color that was piloted at Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education in the Bronx in collaboration with Chamber Music America. Currently, she is designing and implementing a sound-mapping curriculum for students at Chelsea High School that seeks to preserve memories through an auditory and visual creation for public display funded by a Mass Cultural Council grant.
Before co-founding Sounds that Carry, Olivia served as Harvard’s Director of First-Year Arts Initiatives, spearheading and overseeing campus-wide arts events for Harvard College students. While there, she also assisted in the design and production of the Harvard Art Museum’s inaugural Family Day.
Olivia’s passion for equitable arts education began with her own career in music. Recognized as “a standout” by the Wall Street Journal, Olivia’s decorated career as an operatic mezzo-soprano brought her performances in London’s Holland Park, Versailles’ Opéra Royale, Tanglewood's Seiji Ozawa Hall, Lincoln Center, and Salzburg’s Großes Festspielhaus. She was in the ensemble at the Salzburg State Theater between 2020-2022, for which she garnered glowing reviews for her “enchantingly light, agile voice” (Salzburger Nachrichten) in leading roles such as Harper in Eötvös’ Angels in America and Der Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos. She has been a young artist with the Opera Theater of St. Louis and is a two-time Tanglewood Music Center Fellow.
She holds a Master of Education degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Education Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship with a Concentration in Arts and Learning; a Child Protection Certificate from Harvard’s FXB Center for Health and Human Rights; a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School in Vocal Arts; and a Bachelor of Music degree from The Oberlin College & Conservatory in Vocal Performance.
Olivia is proud to be from the heart of downtown San Francisco. Outside of her career passions, Olivia loves hosting dinner parties and collecting random objects (like bubble wrap) that kids can make noise with.
