• BM, Northwestern University
• MM, Duquesne University

Kathleen Costello is currently serving as Assistant Professor of Clarinet at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, on leave from the Alabama Symphony Orchestra for the 2024-2025 academic school year. A longtime resident of Birmingham, she joined the Alabama Symphony Orchestra as Principal Clarinet in 2006. Since joining the orchestra she has appeared as soloist with the renowned clarinetist David Shifrin, in addition to appearing as soloist in a variety of formats, including Steve Reich’s NY Counterpoint, a performance which was regarded as “flawlessly executed” by ARTS bham. In September 2023 Kathleen performed Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto with the ASO on the opening Masterworks weekend.

Committed to both new music and innovation in the arts, Kathleen continues to spend time in Pittsburgh performing as a founding member of the ensemble IonSound Project. Dedicated to commissioning works of new music and collaborating with artists in a variety of disciplines, IonSound Project has received critical acclaim for their original programming, fresh approach to contemporary music, and commitment to the city of Pittsburgh. In addition to commissioning dozens of compositions, IonSound has premiered more than 80 works by 20th and 21st century composers. The group has a recording of the chamber music of Jeremy Beck on the Innova label, a disc of works by Philip Thompson featuring a bonus disc of multimedia collaborations commissioned by IonSound, and a forthcoming album featuring new and old music for clarinet, cello, and piano trio. Recent summers have found IonSound performing as a part of the Music on the Hill Festival in Rhode Island.

Kathleen holds a Master of Music degree from Duquesne University where she studied with Ron Samuels, and holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University where she was a student of Russell Dagon. She has also studied with the former Second and Eb clarinetist of the Buffalo Philharmonic, Dan Johnston.

Kathleen has recently received her certification as Romana’s Pilates trained instructor. Her passion and interest in Pilates was sparked several years ago when seeking a solution to chronic stress and injury due to overuse and strain in the professional music industry. Intrigued and encouraged by the holistic approach to body mechanics, overall improvement in quality of life, and true relief from persistent pain and subsequent injury, Kathleen decided to pursue the path of certification as a way of helping others with a similar journey.

Over the past few years Kathleen has rekindled her love for drawing and portraiture. With preferred mediums of charcoal and colored pencil, she has explored a variety of subject matter including music related material. She currently resides in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband and two children.

www.kathleenbcostello.com