Lim Chun is an extremely gifted violist. He plays with spirit, ease, seems fearless and is communicative... a rare talent that will make wonderful contribution to music and society" Yo Yo Ma.
Lim Chun, who was principal violist for both the Singapore Youth Orchestra and the Asian Youth Orchestra before he began his studies at the Peabody Institute of Music at the age of 17, where on a full-scholarship, he received his bachelor and master degrees. His teacher there was Joseph de Pasquale, and he had also participated in the masterclasses of Emanuel Vardi, Roberto Diaz and Heidi Castleman. During his second year at Peabody, he was given an award for his outstanding achievements as a violist. That same year, he began to freelance in the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, playing under the batons of David Zinman, James Depriest, and Yuri Temirkanov.
Chun had performed chamber music at the United Nations and the White House, toured China and Korea as soloist in Richard Strauss' Don Quixote with Yo Yo Ma under the direction of Sergiu Comissiona, and had played Walton's Viola Concerto with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra under Lim Yau, all to critical acclaim.
After his national service, Chun went to Yale University on a full-scholarship to study with Jesse Levine. A few months into his studies at Yale, he auditioned for Lorin Maazel and became a founding member of his Orquesta de la Comunitat Valenciana, the resident orchestra of the new opera theater, the Palau de les Arts, in Valencia, Spain. There he had worked with Zubin Mehta (director of the theater's summer festival), Placido Domingo, Valery Gergiev, and Georges Pretre. In addition to being a member of the viola section, he had also had chances to serve as principal or assistant principal on a few occasions, including performances of Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri, in which he led the violas for the noted Rossini specialist, Alberto Zedda. "Very accomplished, very musical" wrote Zubin Mehta of him.
He was the viola principal of the Asian Youth Alumni Orchestra for the Asian Youth Orchestra's 20th anniversary celebration in Hong Kong, 2010.
Lim Chun has relocated back to Singapore in the summer of 2014.