Cleveland Institute of Music to Present Inaugural Alumni Impact Award to Ok-Sim Nam Kim at December Annual Meeting

Accomplished soprano and longtime educator recognized for more than three decades of teaching and service to Northeast Ohio’s musical community 

The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) will present its inaugural Alumni Impact Award to soprano and educator Ok-Sim Nam Kim during the Institute’s Annual Meeting on December 1 at 4 pm. The award recognizes CIM alumni whose enduring commitment to musical performance, education and community service strengthens the cultural life of their communities. 

A graduate of CIM’s Artist Diploma program in voice, Kim has dedicated her career to developing musicians and enriching Cleveland’s classical music community. She has served on the voice faculty at The Music Settlement since 1990, mentoring generations of singers while maintaining an active presence as a performer, choral conductor and advocate for the region’s musical life. 

The Alumni Impact Award joins CIM’s Distinguished Alumni Award and Alumni Achievement Award, both presented during the Institute’s May commencement ceremonies. The new honor recognizes the cumulative impact of an alumnus’s work, celebrating the citizen-artist whose influence extends beyond individual achievement to the growth and success of others. 

“Musical excellence is about more than what an artist accomplishes on stage or in the studio. It is also about how that artist shares their knowledge, nurtures emerging talent and contributes to the vitality of a community,” said Paul W. Hogle, CIM president and CEO. “Ok-Sim exemplifies this commitment through her decades of teaching, her artistry, and her service to Cleveland’s musical community as a whole, and to CIM specifically. We are proud to recognize her as the inaugural recipient of this award and I am honored to call her a friend.” 

Kim’s career reflects a lifelong investment in music education. Before establishing her teaching career in Cleveland, she taught music at Kangwoon High School in Seoul, South Korea, for 10 years, earning first prize in a competition for music teachers sponsored by South Korea’s Ministry of Education. She holds a Master of Music in Voice and Choir Conducting from Ouachita Baptist University and a Bachelor of Music from Hanyang University in Seoul, in addition to her Artist Diploma from CIM. 

As a soprano, Kim has performed leading operatic roles, including Violetta in La Traviata, Micaëla in Carmen and Gilda in Rigoletto and has conducted church choirs at congregations throughout Northeast Ohio.  

Her contributions extend beyond the classroom and stage. Since 2007, she has served on the Governing Council of the Art Song Festival. Art Song held its concluding events (a recital and masterclass featuring mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and pianist Kirill Kuzmin) on December 9–11, 2023, at CIM. Remaining funds were used to create an endowed voice scholarship fund at CIM as a parting gift. Coverage described it as sounding its “final notes” and ending “the way it began… in glory.”  

Through these varied roles, Kim has demonstrated the lasting influence of an artist who invests not only in her own craft, but also in the musicians, institutions and communities around her. 

The Alumni Impact Award will be presented annually at CIM’s December Annual Meeting. Recipients will also be invited to process with the graduating class during commencement in May, connecting CIM’s newest graduates with alumni whose lives and careers embody the Institute’s enduring values. 

The award affirms CIM’s belief that the highest expression of musical training encompasses not only artistic excellence, but also a sustained commitment to helping others flourish and strengthening the cultural life of the communities they call home.  

The Annual Meeting is open to the public. Admission is free, but a reservation is required. Reserve by Monday, November 16, 2026 by email at rsvp@cim.edu or call 216.795.3140.