Ava has been a judge since 2020
Ava Suppelsa
Bitter Jester Music Festival Judge
At just 22, Ava Suppelsa has a had a career that rivals songwriters twice her age. Growing up in a musically divided household, she was exposed to music ranging from old-school country to jazz and modern pop and those influences are evident in her diverse writing styles today.
Born and raised in Evanston, IL, Ava attended Interlochen Arts Academy at age 16 to study to study in their songwriting program. By 18, she had won national competitions for her work and performed at venues across the country. She decided to continue her studies at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. After just two years at Berklee, she moved to Nashville to pursue writing full time.
Fast forward two more years, and Ava has already made a name for herself as one of Nashvilleʼs young rising songwriters. Her songs have been recorded by emerging artists such as Temecula Road (Hollywood Records), Austin Burke, Home Free (reaching #2 on the Billboard Country Charts), Dylan Rockoff, and more.
Her song credits have amassed over 13 million streams across music platforms have been featured on Spotifyʼs “Hot Country” playlist, Radio Disney Country, and Sirius XM The Pulse, to name just a few. She can be found writing and regularly playing Nashvilleʼs top writers venues.
In 2020, Ava signed a worldwide publishing deal with King Pen Music and Warner Chappell Nashville.
“Being in the Bitter Jester Music Festival was a great way for me to make contacts and gain exposure and performance experience while I was a high schooler!”
