Liza Lim has been recognized as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2023 King's Birthday Honours for her remarkable contributions to the performing arts as a music composer and academic. The Governor-General, David Hurley, announced the Birthday Honours, which acknowledged the work of nearly 1200 Australians this year. Expressing her gratitude, Lim said, "I am deeply honored and humbled to receive this award. It reaffirms the significance of music and music education in fostering a culturally diverse and inclusive Australia. Music has the power to transform lives, allowing individuals to explore parts of themselves that nothing else can. Music is for everyone."
Liza Lim is highly esteemed in the Australian music scene, renowned for her intricately evocative compositions that embrace cross-cultural practices. She currently holds the prestigious Peter Sculthorpe Chair of Australian Music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and has been actively involved in promoting gender equity and diversity since joining the institution in 2017. From 2018 to 2023, Lim spearheaded the Composing Women program at the Conservatorium.
Lim is also dedicated to creating pathways in music. One of her notable projects, Atlas of the Sky, involved the participation of school children and seniors in a community-based work composed for Speak Percussion. Reflecting on the project, Lim shared, "It was one of the most inspiring endeavors I have been involved in. The stories and letters I received afterwards were incredible, demonstrating how performing arts helped people take significant steps forward in their lives. We all grew bolder and more resilient through that experience."
Lim emphasized the transformative power of the arts and its impact on individuals' lives throughout Australia. However, she noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected live music, performing arts, and classical music. Lim called for increased support to rebuild these sectors.
In the pursuit of a culturally vibrant future, Lim advocated for placing music education at the core of schooling, from kindergarten to lifelong learning in adult education. Her own experiences in school and early exposure to new and experimental music continue to resonate in her work, and she aspires for such opportunities to be accessible to all.
Among the other honorees in the music and arts field are the late Barry Humphries, who posthumously received the Companion of Australia (AO) for his distinguished service to the arts as a comedian, actor, author, satirist, and arts patron. Soprano and educator Emma Matthews, musical theatre performer Marina Prior, actor Pamela Rabe, comedian and actor Judith Lucy, and singer-composer Lisa Gerrard were all appointed Members of the Order of Australia (AM). Ros Horin, former Artistic Director of Griffin Theatre, received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her contributions to the performing arts. Theatre directors Matthew Lutton and Roger Hodgman, as well as Tracey Callinan, CEO of Regional Arts NSW, also received the Medal of the Order of Australia. Diane Jameson, co-Deputy Board Chair of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, was honored as a Companion of the Order of Australia, with MSO Chairman David Li acknowledging her significant contributions to the financial oversight of the company.
