IN MEMORIAM: Patricia Costa Kim

Patricia Costa Kim passed away on Tuesday, May 8, 2012, from a rare and complicated brain tumor. Beloved mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, and educator, Patricia was a musician in body, spirit, and soul.

Raised in Brooklyn, NY, Patricia was the child of two working musicians, mother Constance "Connie", who plays accordion, and father Pasquale "Pat", who plays guitar. Patricia's grounding in music began with singing during after dinner clean up and as family and friends provided music for the weekly Roman Catholic "folk" liturgy. At age 11 she began musical studies at the Biviano School of Music, then moved on to the Performing Arts High School of New York City, where she added conducting, arranging, and composing to her proficient performance skills in accordion, guitar, viola, violin, recorder, steel drums, and singing, always singing.

During Patricia's life, education and music were always intertwined. She moved continually among the worlds of learning: She held a BFA from City College of New York, Davis Center for the Performing Arts; an MA from Brooklyn Conservatory at Brooklyn College; and a Ph.D. in music education from the University of Washington. She taught in Brooklyn, New Haven, and Seattle at Cleveland High School and Chief Sealth High School. As a singer, and an instrumentalist, she performed on Broadway (as Henry Winkler's little sister in "42 Seconds from Broadway"), Radio Beijing and with the bands Sonseed (now a YouTube sensation), and Pink Martini as accordionist. In 1998, Patricia brought her extraordinary talent for teaching and performing to a new level of audience when she joined the Seattle Symphony as Director of Education and Community Programs, leading the creation and implementation of Soundbridge Seattle Symphony Music Discovery Center at Benaroya Hall, and creating the enormously popular "Tiny Tots" series. She worked closely with many great artists to engage audiences in classical music, including Yo Yo Ma on The Silk Road Project. Most recently, Patricia was a string and music teacher at the Seattle Waldorf School and the Director of Education for EMP Museum, where she invigorated EMP's approach to the visitor experience through introducing a host of participatory events held at the museum that encouraged everyone to sing and dance.

As important as her performing and her teaching was her advocacy work in our community. She served as a Board member of the Washington State Arts Alliance and for Seattle Music Partners, a non-profit organization that provides after-school music lessons to elementary and middle school students in low-income schools, and was an active member of the Music Educator's National Conference and the Washington Music Educators Association where she delivered numerous workshop presentations and publications. Patricia signed off on her e-mails with "Living in the Art of Possibility".

Patricia met the great love of her life, husband David Kim, through their mutual passion for music and learning, which they share with daughter, Zacarra, 13. Patricia and Zacarra shared so much of their lives together. Zacarra was often in-residence in Patricia's office at the Symphony or at her side during the many concerts, and Patricia taught music at the schools Zacarra attended, from Bright Water to Seattle Waldorf where Zacarra is in 7th grade. Patricia's ability to create music community wherever she went was strengthened by her loving family.

Patricia is survived by husband David, daughter Zacarra, parents Connie and Pat Costagliola, sisters Caryn and Regina. A memorial service for Patricia will be held on Saturday, May 12, 2012, at 10:30am at St. James Cathedral, 804 9th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104.

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