Lim has always been drawn to big questions that connect seemingly opposite worlds, from science and art to body and spirit. That’s why he felt right at home at Gustavus.
“I found a community of similarly-minded people interested in the curiosities of human existence,” he says.
Between reading Aristotle and time in the neuroscience lab, he double-majored in Biology and Music with plans for medical school. But he found his true purpose in Christ Chapel. “At some point, I realized I’d rather be surrounded by stained glass windows than lab walls,” he says. “I wanted to explore these big, existential questions from a different perspective. How does humanity and the divine engage each other? How might humanity and community be practiced through music and art?”
That same curiosity fueled his graduate studies in organ performance at the University of Iowa and the University of Oklahoma. He continued to find harmony between art, intellect, and faith. “Church music draws on every part of who you are,” he says. “It’s an entangled mess of art, history, and leadership…a peculiar bowl of noodles.” Lim thrives in roles that stretch him: playing, teaching, conducting, planning, and leading all at once.
That’s what excites him about his newest position as Organ Scholar at Duke University Chapel, where he works with former Gustavus music faculty and fellow alum, Chad Fothergill ’08. “Duke Chapel is a landmark, and this year, the music leadership includes two Gusties.”
Lim with his mentor and Gustie grad Chad Fothergill ’08 in the Duke University Chapel in Durham, NC.
