Conversations with Lizzy Ratadhi

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lizzy Ratadhi.

Hi Lizzy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Growing up in Indonesia, I spent a lot of my time playing in orchestras. I think that was such a huge part of me: playing violin and being in a community of fellow string players and amazing arrangers, and we would rehearse for hours together. Seeing conductors like Erwin Gutawa and Addie MS direct an orchestra and listening to how every instrument interacts with each other would always fascinate me. I remember I would spend a lot of my time listening to the orchestral arrangements and thinking, wow, I have no idea how anyone could have come up with such a beautiful arrangement for this pop song that I always listen to on the radio. It was great, and I always felt satisfied whenever my violin part doubled with the cello, horns, or vocals. As a kid, I never thought about how much playing in an orchestra would shape who I am as a musician today.

My professional music journey started when I first took a big leap and studied abroad in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I went to a music foundation program that was, at the time, one of Berklee College of Music’s global partner schools. To this day, I’ll never forget my experience there, because that’s where I discovered my love for arranging and met my best friends. We used to be required to do a weekly performance together. The school would give us a stage, have our professors be the judges, and tell us to do whatever we wanted. I naturally gravitated toward picking my favorite pop songs and rearranging them, just like what my orchestra conductors used to do. My friends and I would spend a lot of our free time rehearsing together; I would arrange my favorite pop songs, and my friends would play the parts that I wrote for them. Even though back then it definitely did not sound anything close to what Erwin Gutawa or Addie MS did, I felt this satisfaction of just wanting to learn more about this whole arranging world. Just like how I felt when I was a kid, I still felt the same satisfaction of listening to instruments interacting with each other and creating my own twist to all of my favorite songs.

Fast forward, after completing the foundation program in Malaysia, I got an acceptance letter to go to Berklee College of Music. I was beyond thrilled back then, because I had always dreamt of going to a music school in the States. Studying at Berklee, I was met with a pool of these amazing musicians, which helped me explore my skills in arranging more and more. During my first semester, I got selected to do a Disney-themed showcase at the Berklee Performance Center, which is Berklee’s largest venue. Being in that show was my first time ever getting the chance to conduct my own strings section in front of over a thousand people. It felt so surreal.

My passion for arranging only grew after that. I started exploring different instrumentations and genres. From R&B to Funk, to Ballads, and even Electronic Music. My background in orchestras heavily affected my style, because I would always gravitate to adding orchestral elements to my arrangements. To this day, playing orchestral arrangements to pop songs as a kid still affects the kind of music I make and, most importantly, the community of musicians that I gravitate towards.

After finishing my studies at Berklee, I moved to LA, where I got the opportunity to work for the LA Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestra Program (YOLA). This is definitely such a full-circle moment for me, having grown up heavily involved in different orchestras in Indonesia. Assisting behind the scenes of the 2026 YOLA National Festival, as well as performances at the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall definitely feels super nostalgic. The LA Phil community has given me a warm welcome to Los Angeles, and I am beyond excited to keep exploring this musical world with them.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Dreaming of being a full-time musician as someone who grew up in Indonesia is definitely a challenging dream. Growing up, I didn’t see a lot of musicians who were doing music full-time. Music was always seen as a side thing by the Indonesian society, and so being a full-time musician was rarely anyone’s main goal in life. For some reason, though, there was always a voice telling me that this musician life was for me and that it was what I am meant to do. It’s a really ambitious dream, but looking at all these American musicians really inspired me and reminded me that my dream is not impossible.

However, at the time, I had very little resources to bridge my studies in Indonesia to the United States. I went to a local Indonesian school with an entirely different curriculum than the US education. Things as simple as taking the SAT, writing a college essay, and building a portfolio were things I did not even grow up knowing could be a part of a college application process. It’s a little silly to think about now, but I remember having to study for the SATs through a free website, taking a lot of notes from my mistakes, and relying on the internet to teach me. Even when it came to writing my college essay, I used to watch hundreds of YouTube videos from people who had been accepted to colleges in the U.S. just so I could get an idea of how the process worked.

As a 15-year-old girl going to a local Indonesian high school, this was a big challenge for me. I would constantly sleep at 3 a.m. just perfecting my college essay and teaching myself the SATs with whatever information I could find on the internet. I put a lot of pressure on myself because not only did I have to get accepted into a music college, but I also really needed a scholarship because that was the only way my parents would let me go to the States. This was also the reason why I ended up doing the Berklee transfer program in Malaysia. It was probably one of the most cost-efficient ways I could work toward getting a Berklee degree. From relying on the internet throughout my college application process to moving to a different country, I was really willing to do whatever it took to pursue my dream of becoming a musician in the United States.

To this day, the biggest challenge for me is continuing to push myself no matter what. A part of me feels responsible not only for my younger self, but also for all of the other young girls in Indonesia who have the same dream of pursuing music as a career. I want to one day be able to represent my country, not only in the States but also in the mainstream media. I want to be able to reach the Indonesian people and be a living proof that it is possible to pursue a full-time career as a musician.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
After making the big move to LA, I am definitely very proud that I am able to be a part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic family through working for their YOLA program. I honestly never expected to have the opportunity to professionally work in the orchestra world, but it feels very fitting for me as someone who grew up heavily influenced by the orchestra community. I think my background in orchestra has also influenced me a lot in my arranging style, which I am also super proud of.

During my time in college, I was able to be involved in a lot of really cool shows and projects. One of the shows that I am really proud of is the Berklee Singers Showcase: *A Sky Full of Stars — The Songs of Coldplay*, which featured a collaboration with choreographer Anthony Burrell. I got the opportunity to make arrangements for some Coldplay songs like ‘Let Somebody Go’, ‘Everglow’, and ‘In my Place’. I’m also really proud of the Disney Reimagined: 100th Anniversary Celebration Concert, where I performed my original composition featuring my string arrangement and conducted on stage for the first time.

My specialty is definitely in live arranging and the behind-the-scenes world of music performance. Now that I’ve graduated, I’m excited to explore more opportunities and bring my orchestral background into my arrangements. Playing in orchestras has deeply shaped my arranging style and helped define my signature sound. I have a particular love for string arrangements and often incorporate orchestral elements into Pop, R&B, Funk, Ballads, and Electronic Music. I always aim to make my arrangements feel cinematic, emotional, and dynamic, blending my orchestral background with contemporary Pop genres.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I have started content creating to document my journey as a musician from Indonesia. I like creating mini arrangements of my favorite songs, and mini Vlogs of any shows and projects that I am doing. I have also posted some full arrangements on YouTube, So, definitely check out my page and show some love.

I would also love to collaborate with more artists or shows that is happening around LA. Whether it’s creating a full show arrangement, or strings arrangement for a song, I am interested to work together.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizzyratadhi/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lizzyratadhi
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@lizzyonrepeat

Image Credits
Elliott Attemand, Sussie Su curated by Upside Down Universe