Costa alumnus Allie Corcovelos pursues her passion for the art of music

By Alde Nguyen

Staff Writer

From learning to play the guitar for fun to performing her music onstage, Costa alumnus Allie Corcovelos pursues her passion for the art of music.

 Corcovelos also known as “Allie Quinn” on stage – her first and middle name, is folk rock and pop musician who performs at local venues around the South Bay such as The Sainte Rocke and in public heavily populated popular locations. Corcovelos is a guitarist, singer and songwriter who writes and performs her own songs. Corcovelos began to write and sing her own songs at the age of nine, when she taught herself to play the guitar.

The official Instagram account of Allie Quinn and her music

“When I was younger, I began to play music and expressed my feelings through songwriting,” Corcovelos said. “I have a loving passion for music because it connects me to all kinds of people who enjoy the same interests.”

Corcovelos is a Hermosa Beach native and attended Mira Costa from 2006 until graduating with the class of 2010. She went to Costa during her freshman and sophomore year, until participating in the Costa’s independent studies program during junior and senior year. Corcovelos participated in extracurricular activities while at Costa including being on the basketball team during freshman year, both drama club and improv club during freshman and sophomore year, and being on the comedysportz team her junior and senior year.

Photos: Costa alumnus Allie Corcovelos performs music.

“I was lucky to meet many creative, altruistic and open-minded friends while at Costa,” Corcovelos said, “ In all my classes and clubs I took, there are people that I have continued to keep friendships with and even worked with in my creative projects or theirs.”

Corcovelos has created and written her own songs including “Break The Dam,” “Always There,” “Strongheart,” “Made of Steel” as well as others. She is currently working on her future album, “It Takes a Village.” Corcovelos said, the reasoning behind the name of the album is because she believes to accomplishing any task involving hardships requires a lot of support from others.

Courtesy of Allie Corcovelos – Allie Quinn performs ‘Break The Dam’ for her music video.

“My lyrics for my songs are driven by my inner thoughts about a variety of cultural and social aspects,” Corcovelos said. “I write about my spiritual journey which is my adventure and experiences throughout the successes and hardships of life.”

Corcovelos sings and plays the guitar at venues around Hermosa Beach including restaurants The Standing Room and Sainte Rocke. Her most recent performance was place on November 29 at the Sainte Rocke restaurant. Corcovelos also performs at house venues and personal parties when hired.

The official Youtube channel belonging to Allie Quinn

“I really enjoy performing onstage but I try to be humble and just be myself during the performance,” Corcovelos said. “I strive towards being mindful and focused in the present moment in order to perform at my best and make an authentic connection with the audience.”

Along with performing her music at venues, Corcovelos advertises her music in public and popular settings, or “on the streets.” Corcovelos has travelled in New Mexico, New York, Colorado and Oregon to perform her music in the various environments each state offers. Corcovelos also has a website where she uploads her music, www.alliequinnmusic.com, to help publicize her work.

“Allie tells a story each time she performs as each of her songs carriers a message close to her heart and when I have the privilege to see her perform live, I truly feel that message through her strong voice and truthful words,” Steph Podolak, an adult fan of Allie’s music, said “She always reminds the audience to be intentional with their daily thoughts and to always choose love not hate.”

Corcovelos says she continues to further her music career and gain experience in her singing, songwriting, and instrumental talents. She is currently working on her album “It Takes a Village” and collaborating on works with other musicians such as Gabriel Wolfchild, the band Chills and cellist Marc Christian that reflect a similar style of folk rock music.

“My goal as a musician is to develop in my songwriting and performing to create music that others will enjoy to listen to,” Corcovelos said. “ I hope to become more of a touring musician and weave activism into my work in order to make the world a better place for all.”