Tisa Ho steps down as executive director of the city’s biggest arts festival after 16 years, and will be handing her baton to Flora Yu
Expect a spectacular line-up of world-class performers, including Grammy award-winning artists and international ballet and piano superstars, to flock to the city in February and March 2023 as the Hong Kong Arts Festival celebrates its 51th anniversary—and a change in leadership.
Tisa Ho, who has served as the festival’s executive director since 2006, stepped down earlier this year and will be replaced by Flora Yu, the festival’s development director for the past 11 years. At Ho’s farewell party in October 2022, she fondly recalled her days of sorting out health authority documents for circus horses (the “trickiest artists to take care of”), flying to far corners of the world to preview shows, and all the unexpected scenarios that come with putting on the most dazzling, spectacular productions for Hong Kong.
Ho expressed her confidence in Yu, who officially stepped into her shoes on November 14, as well as her faith in the new leader and her team to continue the festival’s vision to foster cultural and artistic exchange between Hong Kong and the rest of the world and spotlight local talents.
Yu talks to Tatler on her new role and what exciting shows to expect in the new season.
Congratulations! What are your roles as the new executive director?
Flora Yu: We have forged a strong international brand image as an arts festival and have built excellent networks worldwide. My role is to ensure the organisation can continue to provide the right work environment, structure and sufficient resources to our talented and experienced colleagues to realise their artistic visions.
How will your previous experience help you in this new leadership position?
Being a development director in the past 11 years… I was in charge of generating nearly 60 per cent of the festival’s income through fundraising-related activities.
My job as the executive director now still involves ensuring the festival’s financial stability—in a way my previous experience comes in handy and makes it less daunting for me.
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