Elizabeth C. Lim ’08

If you have attended any of the classical music events on campus, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the music of Elizabeth C. Lim ’08. Lim has composed music for groups such as the Brattle Street Chamber Players, the Freshmen Musical, CityStep, and the University Choir. Off campus, the work of this year’s Louis Sudler Prize co-winner can be heard from such illustrious groups as the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, and the New York Youth Symphony and can be found being performed all across Germany and Japan.

Lim has always been a musical prodigy. The San Franciso native began playing the piano at age four. A year later, she had already composed her first piece, “Imagine I Am a Ballerina,” which she wrote so that he could dance her ballet to music. Though the music conentrator, who describes herself as “unbelievably clumsy,” did not continue with dance, her talent in music only grew, and by the time she was 16 and a student of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Preparatory Division, she had begun to take composing quite seriously.

Since the beginning of her career, Lim has received numerous awards, including the Bach Society Orchestra’s yearly composition contest and the 2006 Hugh F. MacColl Prize in Music Composition for her string quartet “The Dream.” Lim was also named the 2008 Emerging Composer-in-Residence for the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra.

Lim’s inspiration can come from anywhere and anyone—including herself. This includes scary experiences in the woods during summer camp that might inspire her to compose something more “dark and eery,” as well as calmer, spiritual experiences during a walk. For her thesis composition, entitled “Windfalls,” Lim drew from her own personality, creating a piece that attempts to encompass humor and light-heartedness, maturity and depth.

Lim plans to continue her studies in music after graduation and perhaps receive her doctorate. And as she continues her educational journey, there is little doubt that her growth and new life experiences will inspire her to create even more award-winning masterpieces.

—Jessica O. Matthews