HKAPA

Ms. Yip Wing-sie is a celebrated conductor, and one of the most influential and highly respected figures in Asia’s orchestral scene.

Serving as Music Director of Hong Kong Sinfonietta from 2002 to 2020, and now its Music Director Emeritus, Ms. Yip became the first homegrown conductor to be in a leading position of a professional orchestra in Hong Kong. During her tenure, she developed the orchestra into one of the flagship arts groups in the city.

Ms. Yip comes from a prominent musical family. She graduated from the Royal College of Music in London and from Indiana University Bloomington in the United States, where she obtained her master’s degree in violin performance and conducting. At the young age of 25, she was appointed Resident Conductor at the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, later holding the positions of Principal Conductor and Music Director of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Yip has sustained an international reputation through her appearance at numerous venues and festivals, as well as collaborating with world-renowned artists and performing-arts groups. She has performed with leading orchestras around the globe including the Central Philharmonic Orchestra in China, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. She was frequently engaged with orchestras in Europe, including the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse and the Orchestre de Chambre de Besançon in France, the Warsaw Philharmonic in Poland, Tenerife Symphony Orchestra in Spain, and the Czecho-Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra in Košice.

Ms. Yip’s decades of devotion and accomplishments in music have earned her international accolades, including as Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite bestowed by the nation of France and as Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French Ministry of Culture. She was named a Fellow of the Royal College of Music (FRCM), and served as the Ong Teng Cheong Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University of Singapore. She was awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star by the Hong Kong SAR government in 2013.

As the first female Asian conductor to rise to prominence in the world of conducting, Ms. Yip is an inspiration to young musicians. A staunch supporter of the Academy, she served as a part-time faculty in conducting at the School of Music for over 15 years and was a member of the Academy Council from 2008 to 2013. The Hong Kong Sinfonietta also offered invaluable performing opportunities to students and graduates of the School of Music over the years, showing her unfaltering support of the Academy as well as her commitment to nurturing young talent.