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 The Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF), launched in 1973, is an international arts festival held in Hong Kong. It covers all genres of the performing arts as well as a diverse range of educational events in February and March each year. Histor ...

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 Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay or nicknamed as The Durian is a performing arts centre located in the Downtown Core of Singapore near the mouth of the Singapore River. Named after the nearby Esplanade Park, it consists of two rounded struc ...

, 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

Ho was born on 22 December 1948 in China. She studied in St. Paul's Convent School in Hong Kong, and pursued art, theater, and music as a child. She went on to attend

Hong Kong University The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is a public research university in Pokfulam, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese by the London Missionary Society and formally established as the University of ...

, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1971 and a master's degree in 1973. She studied art history in France, graduating from the

University of Bordeaux The University of Bordeaux (, ) is a public research university based in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It has several campuses in the cities and towns of Bordeaux, Dax, Gradignan, Périgueux, Pessac, and Talence. There are al ...

in 1974 with a degree in French Studies, before completing a diploma in arts management from the

City University, London City, University of London was a public university from 1966 to 2024 in London, England. It merged with St George's, University of London to form City St George's, University of London in August 2024. The names "City, University of London" and ...

. Her husband Ronald Ng is a hematologist. Her elder son

Andrew Ng Andrew Yan-Tak Ng (; born April 18, 1976) is a British-American computer scientist and Internet Entrepreneur, technology entrepreneur focusing on machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). Ng was a cofounder and head of Google Brain and ...

is an artificial-intelligence researcher, and younger son Alfred Ng an attorney.

Career

Ho 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. In 1984, she moved to Singapore, and worked at the Singapore Arts Center, where she was responsible for executing the development of the

, a public arts venue. 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''. Ho was appointed the artistic co-ordinator for the Singapore Festival, and curated and marketed the 1988 and 1990 festivals. From 1990 to 1999, Ho was the executive director for the

Singapore Symphony Orchestra The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is a symphony orchestra based in Singapore. Its principal concert venue is the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. The orchestra also gives concerts at the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, and performs ...

. 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 The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a -year-old tropical garden located at the fringe of the Orchard Road shopping district in Singapore. It is one of three gardens, and the only tropical garden, to be honoured as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Th ...

. 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 The Necessary Stage (TNS, previously known as M1 Theatre Connect and M1 Youth Connection) is a Singaporean non-profit theatre company with charity status. Formed in 1987 by Alvin Tan, TNS was established with its own mission to create challengi ...

. She was also the president of a women's rights organisation, and wrote several newspaper articles and guidebooks while in Singapore. 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. In 2006, Ho was appointed the executive director of the Hong Kong Arts Festival. In 2020, Ho oversaw the presentation of a digital, online version of the festival, in response to restrictions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. 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).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ho, Tisa 1948 births Hong Kong women writers Hong Kong art directors Alumni of City, University of London Alumni of the University of Hong Kong Living people University of Bordeaux alumni