Tisa Ho (born 22 December 1948) is an arts administrator and writer from Hong Kong. She is currently the director of the Hong Kong Arts Festival and has previously been the director of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Singapore Arts Festival, and several public art projects in Singapore, including the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, a public arts venue. She is currently the chair of the International Society of Performing Arts, and received an award from the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong for her contributions, in 2020. She has written several books on arts administration in Asia.
Biography
editHo was born on 22 December 1948 in China.[1] She studied in St. Paul's Convent School in Hong Kong, and pursued art, theater, and music as a child.[2] She went on to attend Hong Kong University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1971 and a master's degree in 1973.[3] She studied art history in France, graduating from the University of Bordeaux in 1974 with a degree in French Studies, before completing a diploma in arts management from the City University, London.[4] Her husband Ronald Ng is a hematologist. Her elder son Andrew Ng is an artificial-intelligence researcher, and younger son Alfred Ng an attorney.[5][6][7]
Career
editHo worked for the management of the London Film Festival after completing her diploma in arts administration, later returning to Hong Kong where she worked as the arts and public relations consultation for the Hong Kong Arts Festival.[1] In 1984, she moved to Singapore, and worked at the Singapore Arts Center, where she was responsible for executing the development of the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, a public arts venue.[4][1] In 1986, she began working for Singapore's Ministry of Culture, working for the Cultural Services Division. She established a number of arts initiatives, including creating housing and other grants, and publishing a newsletter, Arts Diary.[4] Ho was appointed the artistic co-ordinator for the Singapore Festival, and curated and marketed the 1988 and 1990 festivals.[8]
From 1990 to 1999, Ho was the executive director for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.[8] As the director of the orchestra, she established Singapore's International Piano Festival, as well as a series of open-air concerts at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.[1] She also served on the boards of a number of arts-related organisations, including the Singapore Youth Orchestra, the LaSalle College of the Arts, and The Necessary Stage.[1] She was also the president of a women's rights organisation, and wrote several newspaper articles and guidebooks while in Singapore.[1] She is currently the chair of the International Society of Performing Arts, and 2020, received an award from the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.[9]
In 2006, Ho was appointed the executive director of the Hong Kong Arts Festival.[8] In 2020, Ho oversaw the presentation of a digital, online version of the festival, in response to restrictions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10][11]
Ho has written several books on arts, public spaces, and artistic projects in Asia. These include Building Social Space in Singapore (2002), Ask Not – The Necessary Stage in Singapore Theatre (2004), and Her Story (2005).[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Tisa Ho Ng". Esplanade. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ "Tisa Ho, The Maestro Behind The Hong Kong Arts Festival". The Theatre Times. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ "Faculty of Arts - HKU - A Rewarding Journey Starts With The Traveller". arts.hku.hk. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ a b c "Tisa Ho, the force behind Hong Kong Arts Festival". South China Morning Post. 8 October 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ Miquiabas, Bong (July 2015). "A.I. and the New Era of Business" (PDF). The Peak Magazine Hong Kong: 40–45.
- ^ "Healer, teacher". The Straits Times. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ Ng, Terry (26 September 2020). "After His Son Co-Founded Coursera, He Became Its Earliest Student and Completed 146 Courses". Rice Media.
- ^ a b c "Ms Tisa Ho, Executive Director, Hong Kong Arts Festival | Hong Kong Arts Administrators Association". www.hkaaa.org.hk. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ "ISPA Board Chair Tisa Ho Receives Prestigious Award". International Society for Performing Arts. 20 November 2020.
- ^ bakchormeeboy (9 October 2020). "Arts of Hong Kong 2020: An Interview with Hong Kong Arts Festival Executive Director Tisa Ho". Bakchormeeboy. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ "Lessons from the Pandemic. Episode 2: Tisa Ho". TheatreArtLife. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2022.