{{Short description|Australian composer (born 1966)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}} {{Use Australian English|date=October 2016}} '''Liza Lim''' {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AM}} (born 30 August 1966) is an Australian [[composer]]. Lim writes concert music ([[Chamber music|chamber]] and orchestral works) as well as [[music theatre]] and has collaborated with artists on [[Installation art|installation]] and [[Video art|video]] projects. Her work reflects her interests in Chinese culture and the aesthetics of [[Indigenous Australian art|Aboriginal art]] and shows the influence of non-Western music performance practice.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Shineberg |first=Susan |date=2008-04-21 |title=Lim's pulse of life |url=https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/lims-pulse-of-life-20080421-ge6zme.html |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=The Age |language=en}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Liza Lim (林瑞玲) was born in [[Perth]], Western Australia, to Chinese parents. They were doctors who during her early years spent time working and studying in [[Brunei]], and she was sent to boarding school.<ref>Miriam Cosic, "Out on a Lim", ''Weekend Australian'', 19–20 June 1999, Review, p. 16</ref> At the age of 11, she was encouraged by her teachers at [[Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne]] to turn from piano and violin to composition.<ref>Liz van der Nieuwenhof, ''Hello Liza Lim, composer'', ''[[The Australian|Weekend Australian Magazine]]'', 25–26 September 2004, p. 11</ref> Lim earned her [[PhD]] from the [[University of Queensland]], her [[Master of Music]] from the [[University of Melbourne]] (1996), and her [[Bachelor of Arts]] from the [[Victorian College of the Arts]] (1986). She studied composition in Melbourne with Richard David Hames and [[Ric Formosa|Riccardo Formosa]] and in Amsterdam with [[Ton de Leeuw]].
== Career == Lim has been a guest lecturer at the [[Darmstädter Ferienkurse|Darmstadt Summer School]], the [[University of California, San Diego]],<ref name=":0" /> [[Cornell University]],<ref name=":0" /> [[Getty Center|Getty Research Institute]], and the [[IRCAM]] Agora Festival. She was a lecturer of [[Musical composition#Composing music|composition]] at Melbourne University in 1991. Lim was the guest curator for the twilight concert series of the 2006 [[Adelaide Festival|Adelaide Festival of Arts]].
Lim has been commissioned by performers including the [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]] (for whom she wrote ''Ecstatic Architecture'' for the inaugural season of the [[Walt Disney Concert Hall]]),<ref name=":0" /> [[Ensemble InterContemporain]],<ref name=":0" /> [[Ensemble Modern]],<ref name=":0" /> [[BBC Symphony Orchestra]], [[Arditti Quartet|Arditti String Quartet]], and Cikada Ensemble. Her work has featured at the {{Interlanguage link multi|Festival d'automne à Paris|fr}}, [[MaerzMusik]], [[Venice Biennale]],<ref name=":0" /> [[Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival]],<ref name=":0" /> and several Australian festivals.
Since 1986, Lim has worked with members of the [[ELISION Ensemble]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=Liza Lim |url=https://elision.org.au/soundhouse/liza-lim/ |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=ELISION Ensemble |language=en-AU}}</ref> she is married to Daryl Buckley, its artistic director.<ref name=":0" /> In 2005, Lim was appointed the composer-in-residence with the [[Sydney Symphony Orchestra]] for two years.<ref name=":0" /> Among other works, the orchestra commissioned—jointly with the radio station [[Bayerischer Rundfunk]]—her work ''The Compass''; in its premiere performance on 23 August 2006 at the [[Sydney Opera House]] it was conducted by [[Alexander Briger]] and [[William Barton (musician)|William Barton]] played the [[didgeridoo]].
Sponsored by the [[German Academic Exchange Service]], she spent one year in 2007/2008 as artist-in-residence in Berlin where she developed her third opera, ''[[The Navigator (opera)|The Navigator]]'', inspired by [[Tristan and Iseult|''Tristan and Isolde'']] to a [[libretto]] by Patricia Sykes.<ref name=":0" /> She was appointed professor in composition at the [[University of Huddersfield]] in March 2008.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.hud.ac.uk/mh/music/news_archive.php#mua101 |title = Music and Music Technology News Archive |access-date = 29 April 2008 |date = March 2008 |publisher = University of Huddersfield |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080625194614/http://www.hud.ac.uk/mh/music/news_archive.php#mua101 |archive-date = 25 June 2008 |url-status = dead }}</ref>
In February 2017, she was appointed to the composition unit at the [[Sydney Conservatorium of Music]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mandy |date=2017-02-01 |title=Liza Lim joins the University of Sydney to nurture women composers |url=https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2017/02/01/liza-lim-joins-the-university-of-sydney-to-nurture-women-compose.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250120105919/https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2017/02/01/liza-lim-joins-the-university-of-sydney-to-nurture-women-compose.html |archive-date=2025-01-20 |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=The University of Sydney |language=en-US}}</ref> where she is the Sculthorpe Chair of Australian Music.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-17 |title=How Liza Lim is breaking down barriers in music composition |url=https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2025/03/17/how-liza-lim-is-breaking-down-barriers-in-music.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250430193831/https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2025/03/17/how-liza-lim-is-breaking-down-barriers-in-music.html |archive-date=2025-04-30 |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=The University of Sydney |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Selected works==
=== Stage works === * 1991–93 ''The Oresteia. A Memory Theatre'', opera * 1994–95 ''Bar-do'i-thos-grol'', 7-night installation performance based on ''[[The Tibetan Book of the Dead]]'', artist Domenico de Clario * 1991–99 ''Yuè Lìng Jié (Moon Spirit Feasting)'', A Chinese ritual street opera, libretto by Beth Yahp * 2005 ''Glass House Mountains'', installation work with artist Judy Watson * 2008 [[The Navigator (opera)|''The Navigator'']], opera for 5 singers, 16 instruments and electronics, libretto by Patricia Sykes
=== Orchestra works === * 1994–95 ''Sri-Vidya, Utterances of Adoration'' for choir and orchestra * 1996 ''The Alchemical Wedding'' for orchestra (22 instruments) * 2001–02 ''Ecstatic Architecture'', commissioned for the inaugural season at the Walt Disney Concert Hall * 2004 ''Immer Fliessender (Ever Flowing)'', a companion-piece for Gustav Mahler's Ninth Symphony * 2005 ''Flying Banner'', "Fanfare" for orchestra, after Wang To * 2005–06 ''The Compass'' for orchestra with flute and didgeridoo soloists * 2010 ''Pearl, Ochre, Hair String'' for orchestra * 2010 ''The Guest'' for orchestra with [[Recorder (musical instrument)|recorder]] soloist * 2024 ''A Sutured World'' for orchestra and cello soloist, for [[Nicolas Altstaedt]]; co-commissioned by [[Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra]], [[Melbourne Symphony Orchestra]], Amsterdam Cello Biennale, [[Casa da Música]] Porto<ref name=Briggs />
=== Ensemble works === * 1988–89 ''Garden of Earthly Desire'' for flute, oboe, clarinet, electric guitar, mandolin, harp, violin, viola, violoncello, contrabass, percussion * 1989 ''Voodoo Child'' for soprano solo, flute/piccolo, clarinet, violin, violoncello, trombone, piano, percussion * 1990 ''Diabolical Birds'' for piccolo, bass clarinet, piano, violin, violoncello, vibraphone * 1993 ''Li Shang Yin'' for coloratura soprano, 15 instruments * 1995 ''Street of Crocodiles'' for flute, oboe, alto saxophone, alto trombone, cimbalom/cymbal, violin, viola, violoncello, baroque violoncello * 1999 ''Veil'' for flute/bass flute, bass clarinet, trumpet in C, percussion, piano, violin, violoncello * 2001 ''Machine'' for Contacting the Dead for twenty-seven instruments * 2005 ''Songs Found in Dream'' for oboe, bass clarinet, alto sax, trumpet, 2 percussion, viola, cello * 2005 ''Mother Tongue'' for soprano and 15 instruments, poems by Patricia Sykes<ref>[http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/04/28/singing-in-tongues?currentPage=alll "Singing in Tongues"] by [[Alex Ross (music critic)|Alex Ross]], ''[[The New Yorker]]'', 28 April 2014; review of ''Mother Tongue'' at the [[Miller Theatre]], 2014</ref> * 2006 ''Shimmer Songs'' for string quartet, harp, 3 percussion * 2006 ''City of Falling Angels'' for 12 percussion * 2007 ''Sensorium'' for soprano, C-tenor recorders, baroque harp, viola d'amore * 2010–11 ''Tongue of the Invisible'', a work for improvising pianist, baritone and 16 musicians * 2014 ''Winding Bodies: 3 Knots'' for alto flute, bass clarinet, piano, percussion, violin, viola, violoncello and double bass
=== Chamber music === * 1996 ''Inguz (Fertility)'' for clarinet in A, violoncello * 1997 ''The Heart's Ear'' for flute/piccolo, clarinet, violin I, violin II, viola, violoncello * 1999 ''Sonorous Bodies'' for koto and voice solo, in collaboration with video artist Judith Wright * 2004 ''In the Shadow's Light'' for string quartet, commissioned by Festival d'automne à Paris for the Kairos Quartett * 2004–05 ''The Quickening'' for soprano and qin, commissioned by the Festival d'Automne à Paris * 2008 ''Ochred String'' for oboe, viola, cello, double bass * 2013–14 ''The Weaver's Knot'' for string quartet
=== Solo works === * 1992 ''Amulet'' for viola solo * 1997 ''Philtre for Hardanger'' fiddle solo or retuned violin * 2007 ''Wild Winged–one'' for solo trumpet * 2007 ''Weaver–of–Fictions'' for alto Ganassi recorder * 2007 ''The Long Forgetting'' for tenor Ganassi recorder * 2008 ''Well of Dreams'' for solo alto trombone * 2008 ''Sonorous Body'' for solo B{{Music|b}} clarinet * 2011 ''Love Letter'' for solo instrument
==Awards and nominations== In 2007, Lim's Sydney Symphony Composer Residency was nominated for an [[APRA Awards (Australia)|APRA Classical Music Award]] for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual, her piece ''Mother Tongue'' was nominated for Best Composition by an Australian Composer, and her piece ''Flying Banner (After Wang To)'' won the Orchestral Work of the Year Award.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2007 Art Music Awards |url=https://www.apraamcos.com.au/about/supporting-the-industry/awards/art-music-awards-2007 |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=APRA AMCOS |language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2018, Lim won the [[Don Banks Music Award]], which honours a senior artist of high distinction who has made an outstanding and sustained contribution to music in Australia.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-03-05 |title=Liza Lim wins the Don Banks Music Award |url=https://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/article/liza-lim-wins-the-don-banks-music-award |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=Australian Music Centre}}</ref>
The 2026 [[Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition]] ($100,000) was awarded to Lim for her cello concerto ''A Sutured World''.<ref name=Briggs>{{Cite magazine|author=Maddy Briggs|date=2025-12-02 |title=Liza Lim wins 2026 Grawemeyer Award |url=https://limelight-arts.com.au/news/liza-lim-wins-2026-grawemeyer-award/ |access-date=2025-12-03 |magazine=[[Limelight (magazine)|Limelight]]}}</ref>
===Other awards=== *1996 [[Creative Australia|Australia Council]] fellowship *1996 Young Australian Creative Fellowship *2002 [[APRA Awards (Australia)|APRA Classical Music Award]] for Best Composition<ref>{{Cite web |title=Art Music Awards 2002 |url=https://www.apraamcos.com.au/about/supporting-the-industry/awards/art-music-awards-2002 |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=APRA AMCOS |language=en-US}}</ref> *2004 Paul Lowin Award for ''Ecstatic Architecture''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Paul Lowin Orchestral Prize |url=https://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/award/paul-lowin-orchestral-prize |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=Australian Music Centre}}</ref> *2023 [[Order of Australia|Member of the Order of Australia]] in the [[2023 King's Birthday Honours (Australia)|King's Birthday Honours]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-12 |title=Media notes – AM A–L – The King's Birthday 2023 Honours List |url=https://www.gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-06/20230612%20-%20Media%20notes%20-%20AM%20A-L%20-%20The%20King%27s%20Birthday%202023%20Honours%20List.pdf |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia}}</ref> *2024 [[Australian Laureate Fellowship]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=2024 Laureate Profile: Professor Liza Lim |url=https://www.arc.gov.au/2024-laureate-profile-professor-liza-lim |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=Australian Research Council}}</ref>
==References== <references />
==External links== *{{Official website|http://lizalimcomposer.wordpress.com/}} *[http://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/artist/lim-liza Australian Music Centre artist page] *[https://www.ricordi.com/en-US/Composers/L/Lim-Liza.aspx Ricordi composer biography]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lim, Liza}} [[Category:1966 births]] [[Category:20th-century Australian classical composers]] [[Category:21st-century Australian classical composers]] [[Category:APRA Award winners]] [[Category:Members of the Order of Australia]] [[Category:Australian expatriates in Brunei]] [[Category:Australian expatriates in England]] [[Category:Australian expatriates in Germany]] [[Category:Australian expatriates in the United States]] [[Category:Australian people of Chinese descent]] [[Category:Australian women classical composers]] [[Category:Australian opera composers]] [[Category:Women opera composers]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Victorian College of the Arts alumni]] [[Category:University of Melbourne alumni]] [[Category:Academic staff of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music]] [[Category:20th-century Australian women composers]] [[Category:21st-century Australian women composers]]