HKAPA

Dr. Tisa Ho Kar-kuan is a leading figure in the arts world, both locally and internationally. Upon graduation from The University of Hong Kong, she studied arts administration in Britain and subsequently took up key positions in the performing arts field in Singapore.

After working in Singapore for more than a decade, Dr. Ho returned to her home town of Hong Kong. She served as executive director of the Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) from 2006 to 2022. Under her visionary leadership, the Hong Kong Arts Festival has become one of the most notable international arts festivals. During her tenure as executive director, the HKAF strengthened its capacity as a producer and publisher of original work, adding significant new works to the local repertoire, while the festival continued at the same time to present and co-produce high-level international productions. Dr. Ho has also extended the HKAF's scale and scope to include large-scale and site-specific works and No Limits, the annual series co-presented with The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to promote inclusiveness in the performing arts. During this time, she also revitalised the Hong Kong Arts Administrators’ Association, launched its work in training aspiring young managers and initiated the Cultural Leadership Summit, now an established highlight in the annual calendar.

In 2020, Dr. Ho initiated and oversaw the presentation of a digital version of the Festival, in response to restrictions posed by the pandemic. During the three years of the pandemic, Dr. Ho led her HKAF team to overcome challenges and successfully launch the Festival by bringing hybrid programmes of live and online performances, which received very positive feedback from the arts community as well as from audiences.

Dr. Ho’s previous leadership roles in the performing arts included the supervision of government owned venues in Singapore, as well as the management of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Victoria Concert Hall. She also held portfolios in arts policy and infrastructure development and served on the boards of numerous arts organisations. Her special achievements include establishing the Singapore International Piano Festival, setting up the Alliance of Asia-Pacific Region Orchestras, and building the first Shaw Foundation concert stage at Symphony Lake, in the Botanic Gardens. With regard to her commitment to community work, she was president of the Association of Women for Action and Research, chair of the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations, represented the NGO sector in United Nations meetings on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and was active in the ASEAN Women’s Network as well as the International Women’s Forum.

In addition, Dr. Ho was the chair of the board of directors of the International Society for the Performing Arts, the first arts administrator from Hong Kong to ever hold this position. She was a member of the board of The Hong Kong International Literary Festival and the chair of the Hong Kong Arts Administrators Association. She has also chaired the International Advisory Committee of the Tong Yeong Concert Hall in South Korea, served as a member of the Alliance of Asia-Pacific Region Orchestras, and on the International Faculty of the Accademia Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy.

Dr. Ho was voted Master of the Arts by the American Chambers of Commerce in Hong Kong in 2020, and elected member of the Hong Kong branch of the All China Literature and Arts Association in 2022. She also received a merit award from the Hong Kong government in 2021 for her distinguished services to the arts field. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from Griffith University in Australia in 2019, and also an honorary fellowship from Hong Kong Baptist University in 2022. Dr. Ho is always a loyal supporter of the Academy, giving valuable advice on performing arts education, arts and cultural developments as well as offering Academy students performance opportunities through various initiatives.