The Hong Kong Arts Festival

Announces New Chairman

(Hong Kong, 13 November 2024)

The Hong Kong Arts Festival Society is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Lo Kingman, SBS, MBE, JP as Chairman of the Executive Committee at the Annual General Meeting of the Society on 23 October 2024, following the retirement of Mr Victor Cha on the same day after successfully serving a total of nine years as Chairman of the Society.

“We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Mr Cha for his notable contributions to the HKAF as its Chairman in the past nine years,” says Professor Lo. “He has brought forth and strengthened the Society’s development. Under his leadership, the Festival has expanded its scale and scope, broadened its audience base and reach, successfully increased its income from sponsorships and donations, and continued to grow throughout the pandemic, navigating and adapting to rapid changes despite severe challenges. During Mr Cha’s tenure, the Hong Kong Arts Festival Foundation was also established, laying a solid foundation for the Festival’s long-term sustainability and development. Mr Cha’s ceaseless support of the Festival management team and staff over the years is deeply appreciated by all at the organization.”

Prior to his appointment as Chairman, Professor Lo has served as Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Festival Executive Committee and Chairman of the Programme Committee since October 2017. Before that, from 1975 to 2017, he was an Honorary Advisor of the HKAF, member of the Executive Committee, and member and Vice-Chairman of the Programme Committee at various times. Professor Lo is currently the Director-General of Musica Viva Hong Kong and he has sat on the Court of The University of Hong Kong, the Council of the Centennial College, and the Advisory Council of the Asia Society Hong Kong. He also serves on the Advisory Council of the Beijing Music Festival and is a Visiting Professor at the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing.

Throughout a working career of more than 50 years, he has devoted his time and energy to academic administration, community service and artistic endeavours. Posts he has held in the past include Senior Assistant Registrar at The University of Hong Kong, the first Academic Secretary and eventually Deputy Director of the Hong Kong Polytechnic, Director of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and Principal of the Guangdong International Summer Music Academy in the People’s Republic of China. He has served on a wide range of public bodies, including as Vice-Chairman of the former Urban Council and a member of the Basic Law Consultative Committee. He also sat at on the District Board of Kowloon City, the Councils of four local universities, the Examination Authority, the Broadcasting Authority, the Vocational Training Council, the Community Relations Committee of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, and numerous governmental advisory committees.

Professor Lo was one of the founders of the Hong Kong Arts Centre and played an active role in the establishment of both the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta as professional orchestras. He was the Chairman of the Select Committee that supervised the commissioning of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, and was the Chairman of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department’s Advisory Committee on Cultural Programmes and Development.

As a practising creative artist, Professor Lo has written, designed, directed and produced more than 200 Western-style operatic, theatrical and musical productions both in Hong Kong and abroad. The awards, honours and decorations bestowed on him include Best Stage Design from the Hong Kong Artists’ Guild, Citation of Merit for Life Achievement from the international Society for the Performing Arts based in New York, and the Award for Outstanding Contribution in Arts from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.

Professor Lo was appointed a Justice of the Peace by the Government of the HKSAR, made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s Honours List, honoured as a Cavaliere of the Order of Merit by the Republic of Italy, and decorated with the title of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture and Communications. Honorary fellowships have been conferred upon him by The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and the Royal Society of Arts in Great Britain.

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ABOUT THE HONG KONG ARTS FESTIVAL

Launched in 1973, the Hong Kong Arts Festival is a major international arts festival committed to enriching the cultural life of the city. In February and March every year, the Festival presents leading local and international artists from all genres of the performing arts, giving equal importance to great traditions and contemporary creations. The Festival also commissions and produces work in theatre, music, chamber opera and contemporary dance by Hong Kong’s own creative talents and emerging artists, many of which have subsequently had successful runs in Hong Kong and overseas. Every year, the Festival also presents more than 250 “PLUS” and educational activities that offer diverse arts experiences to the community as well as tertiary, secondary and primary school students. In addition, through the “No Limits” project co-presented with The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the Festival strives to create an inclusive space for people of different abilities to share the joy of the arts together.

For more information about the Hong Kong Arts Festival, please visit www.hk.artsfestival.org.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES

For further enquiries, please contact:

• Ms Katy Cheng (Marketing Director): (852)2828 4930 / katy.cheng@hkaf.org

• Ms Stephanie Cheung (Marketing Manager): (852) 2828 4938 / stephanie.cheung@hkaf.org