Sophia Lim and Tilly Coulton

https://sophialim.com/

https://www.tillycoulton.com/

Sophia Lim is a Malaysian pianist from Sabah, North Borneo. Now based in the UK, she had studied under the tutelage of Danny Driver at the Royal College of Music. Before continuing her education in London, Sophia studied with her mentor, Krzysztof Slomiak, in Kota Kinabalu. Her experiences learning the erhu as well as growing up in Sabah greatly enriched her insight and musical versatility through the influence of diverse cultures.

A keen collaborator, Sophia has premiered and recorded several new works on the piano and erhu. She had curated a programme with Malaysian harpist Ian Lim for FestivAll 2023 ‘From Takemitsu to Miku’, celebrating the music of contemporary Japanese composers, including the premiere of Delyth Field’s Digital Lullaby for harp and piano.

She performed at the Liszt Institute - Hungarian Cultural Centre, in celebration of the 120th anniversary of composer Mátyás Seiber, as part of the Music, Mobility and Migration research project in collaboration with musicians from the Liszt Academy in Budapest. Her determination to perform new music has led her to several collaborations and premiering pieces in various Great Exhibitionists projects at the RCM.

Sophia made her debut as a member of the New Light Collective, performing Pulau Dewata for piano ensemble at the St James’ Piccadilly. She premiered ‘easel on fire’ for flute and piano by Franklin Onyeso with flautist Tilly Coulton, as well as ‘I, Isobel’ at Milton Court Concert Hall performing a new song by Welsh composer Eluned Davies. She also premiered A Hundred State of Joy for mixed ensemble by Malaysian composer Nien Chin Chai at Blackheath Hall.

She performed both solo and chamber music at venues including Pallant House Gallery (Pallant Proms), Milton Court Concert Hall, St James’s Piccadilly, St George’s Hanover Square, St Mary le Strand, Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall among others. In October 2024, she performed a newly commissioned work Amuse Bouche by Nien Chin Chai for violin, harp and piano as part of the Rude Health Festival of New Music.

In 2025, Sophia performed the complete Java Suite by Leopold Godowsky at Yamaha Northumberland and at St Mary le Strand. She also performed at Yamaha Northumberland with Tilly Coulton in the autumn featuring mostly flute and piano music by female composers. The duo has collaborated and performed together at Stoke Gabriel Concert Series and Topsham Music Festival 2026. Sophia is the pianist of the Atlas Trio, formed in 2025, with a focus of performing contemporary clarinet trios.

Sophia was appointed Ambassador of the Benedetti Foundation for the 2024 cohort. She returned to Malaysia in 2024, performing to a full house chamber concert in Kuala Lumpur, in the presence of The Ambassador of Brazil, members of the Taiwan Embassy of Malaysia, and the Royal Patron, Y.A.M. Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin ibni Tuanku Muhriz. She also gave workshops and gave her debut solo recital in her hometown, Sabah, at the Tun Hamdan Mini Theatre of Yayasan Sabah, organised by Sparks Malaysia.

Tilly Coulton is a flute player, improviser, and teacher from Devon, UK. A graduate with distinction from the Royal College of Music (MPerf 2024), and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (BMus(Hons) 2022), her skills range from orchestral playing and solo/chamber recitals to contemporary/experimental music and improvisation.

Tilly is the recipient of several major awards, including the ABRSM Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Award, and John MacGregor Flute Prize, as well as achieving first prize in both the RCS Concerto Competition and RCS Governor’s Recital Prize for Woodwind within the same week. Recent solo engagements include recitals with Tim Carey and Sophia Lim, and her concerto debut in 2024 performing Michael Daugherty’s Trail of Tears.

As a freelance orchestral player, Tilly has performed throughout the UK and taken part in professional schemes with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and Scottish Opera. She served as principal flute with the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland in 2022. Recent highlights include Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie at the Royal Festival Hall under Jac van Steen, and John Adams’ Harmonielehre at the Queen Elizabeth Hall conducted by Vasily Petrenko.

A keen supporter of contemporary and experimental music, Tilly is Creative Director and principal flute player of the contemporary ensemble standard issue: a group that prioritises inclusivity, accessibility, and bringing music by living composers to new audiences. Alongside standard issue, Tilly has performed at Barbican Classical Pride, Music We’d Like to Hear, EMPOWER: Women Changing Music, PRX.LIVE, Colourscape Music Festival and on BBC Radio 3. Previous projects also include Ensemble Modern’s Young Ensemble Academy (2024), Hylozoic/Desires - An Omniscience: an atmos-etheric, transnational, interplanetary, cosmist bird opera, spanning seven continents and the many verses (bass flute) performed at the Finish National Opera (2024), Sound and Music UK Ensemble in Residence (2024), Birmingham Contemporary Music Group’s NEXT Programme (2023-24), Floating Worlds: ”The Seaweed Gatherers” by Daryl Jamieson (composer) and Graham Eatough (theatre director) (2022), and performing free improvisations regularly with the London Improvisers Orchestra and others.

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