Kristin Ann Pankonin

Kristin Pankonin, beloved mother, daughter, friend, and musician, died on July 20 at the age of 54. Born on May 11, 1960, she was lovingly raised by Barbara and Paul Pankonin in Temple City, California. In 1982, she received a B.A. in International Relations from Pomona College, and then moved to San Francisco. Embracing her primary passion, music, Kristin entered the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, earning an M.M. in Piano Accompanying in 1989. In addition to coaching privately, she served for years as a Staff Accompanist at the Conservatory and Mills College.

Treasured for her technical facility, disarming geniality, and rare musicality, Kristin was much in demand until the end of her life. In addition to working with hundreds of students, she collaborated with numerous distinguished artists including vocalists Christine Abraham, Francisco Araiza, Marnie Breckenridge, Zheng Cao, Catherine Cook, Lisa Delan, Susanne Mentzer, and Frederica von Stade; cellist Matt Haimovitz; and many others. Especially acclaimed for new music, Kristin enjoyed working with living composers such as Mark Adamo, John Corigliano, Jake Heggie, and Luna Pearl Woolf. She was a particular favorite of composers David Garner and Gordon Getty.

Kristin’s numerous performance credits included appearances at Lincoln Center, Festival del Sole (Napa), Carmel Music Society, Mainly Mozart Festival (San Diego), the Tuscan Sun Festival (Cortona, Italy), and on the A. Jess Shenson Recital Series at Stanford, to name a few. Her commercial recordings include And if the Song be Worth a Smile, Phenomenon, and The Hours Begin to Sing, all released by PentaTone Classics; Hush, a collection of lullabies; and Garner’s Spoon River Songs.

In 2001, Kristin was appointed Music Director of the Danville Congregational Church, a position she held until her passing. The congregation’s generous and unflinching support of Kristin proved to be a tremendous blessing, especially in the later years of her life.

Kristin’s earthy and effervescent personality made her the heart of a diverse circle of friends. From 1989 to 2001, she was married to Gregory Dahl, and together they welcomed two daughters into the world, Adrienne and Julia Pankonin-Dahl. Nothing meant more to Kristin than “the girls”. They were the culmination of her highest aspirations and desires, the source of her greatest joy, and her most perfect expression of love.

In 2009, Kristin learned that she had a particularly volatile form of cancer. Supported by her daughters and friends, and aided by scores of dedicated medical professionals, she faced the miserable disease with true-to-form resilience and humor, defying predictions and beating the odds again and again. When the time came, she departed this world peacefully. Kristin is survived by her treasured daughters, her mother, and many other family members and friends.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, July 31 at Danville Congregational Church (danvillechurch.org) at 11 a.m. with a luncheon to follow.

Condolences may be addressed to:
Pankonin Family
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

The family requests that donations be made to the Ida Friend Infusion Center at UCSF or Saint Martin de Porres School.

Ida Friend Infusion Center at UCSF: Online gifts can be made at http://makeagift.ucsf.edu/cancer. For the designation choose “other” and input “B1631-Friend Infusion Center”. Make checks payable to the “UCSF Foundation”, write “B1631-Friend Infusion Center” on the memo line, include a note indicating that the donation is in memory of Kristin Pankonin, and mail to:
UCSF Foundation
PO Box 45339
San Francisco, CA 94145

Saint Martin de Porres School: Make checks payable to “Saint Martin de Porres School”, write “Kristin Pankonin Music Scholarship” on the memo line, include a note indicating that the donation is in memory of Kristin Pankonin, and mail to:
Saint Martin de Porres School
675 41st Street
Oakland, CA 94609
Attn: Ann Magovern