Chong Lim

Chong Voon Lim AM (born Ipoh, Malaysia) is a Malaysian-born Australian-based musical director, keyboardist, producer, and session musician. Lim attended St. Michael's Institution for secondary education.[1] He relocated to Melbourne, Australia in 1977, where he attended Geelong College, and then completed a mechanical engineering course at University of Melbourne from 1978 to 1981.[1][2] While at university Lim played with James Valentine (later of the band, Models). Lim then joined Venetta Fields's Gospel Band. He has toured with the Eurogliders, Jermaine Jackson, WJAZ, and John Farnham, after Farnham's long-time collaborator David Hirschfelder left to concentrate on film scores. He has been music director and producer for Olivia Newton-John since 1998 and is patron of the Olivia Newton-John Foundation.[3]

Lim is a consultant for the musical instrument company Roland Corporation, producer of an album for Tommy Emmanuel, wrote music for the 2000 Summer Olympics[4] in Sydney, was musical director and composer for the closing ceremony of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. He was also musical director for the stage version of Dirty Dancing, Don't Forget Your Toothbrush and Kylie Minogue's Intimate and Live Tour. In 2011 Lim was the music producer for Australia's Got Talent winner, Jack Vidgen's debut album. On 9 January, Lim directed the opening ceremony of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.[5]

Lim has worked as musical director for the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars. He has been music director of the Victorian Schools Spectacular since 2011.[3]

In the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours Lim was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for "significant service to the performing arts as a musician, composer, producer and musical director, and to the community".[3]