At just 13 years old, award-winning pianist Hillary O’Sullivan has captivated audiences with her performances, including at the mountaintops of Bhutan and in Antarctica.
Last year, at age 12, O’Sullivan was invited to perform at Bhutan’s prestigious Royal Highland Festival, held in the village of Laya, approximately 4,000 meters above sea level. The festival took place over two days, from October 23 to 24, 2023. Notably, she was the first foreigner invited to the festival since it began in 2016, as well as its youngest performer.
O’Sullivan played “Rhapsody of a Changing Antarctic,” composed by Belgian musician Eric Bettens, and served as the accompanist for a Bhutanese children’s choir. Her music deeply resonated with the audience, including Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, who broke protocol to embrace her after her performance, moved by her heartfelt playing in the chilly mountain air.
In an interview with The Straits Times, O’Sullivan expressed her shock at the king’s gesture, saying, “I did not know what to do. I got to see him up close and took a photo with him.”
Her experience in Bhutan was documented by her mother, Elaine Lim, 50, in a short film titled The Girl and Her Piano. Lim, the creative director of local photography studio White Room Studio, premiered the film at a private screening on October 8. It highlights urgent environmental issues in the Himalayan region, particularly the threats facing Bhutan’s glaciers. Lim noted that the film was self-funded and plans are underway for it to be streamed online.
Reflecting on her performances in Bhutan and Antarctica, O’Sullivan emphasized that her travels have made her acutely aware of the “real and serious problems caused by climate change,” urging people to “change how we live our lives” both individually and as a community.
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