Symposium
Keynote
The Future of Performing Arts
10 September 2026
10:00
Arts Organizations in a Period of Uncertainty
10 September 2026
14:30
02.
Current Situation in Arts Touring and Promotions
11 September 2026
09:30
03.
Securing Arts Audiences in the Future
11 September 2026
11:10
KEYNOTE
The Future of Performing Arts
10 September 2026 | 10:00
Keynote Speaker
.jpg)
Professor Anna CY Chan
Director
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Professor Anna CY Chan is an internationally recognised leader with 35 years of distinguished service in advancing performing arts education. Combining artistic excellence, strategic leadership, and an extensive global network, she has made transformative contributions across academia, arts administration, production, and international collaboration. She currently serves on the Performing Arts Committee of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA), is Director of the Tai Kwun Board and Chair of its Culture and Arts Programme Committee, President of the World Dance Alliance, and Council Member of the China Dancers Association. Professor Chan has played a pivotal role in institutional advancement, including restructuring the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA), strengthening academic governance and quality assurance, and leading long-term strategic planning and campus development. Her leadership has reinforced HKAPA’s position as a leading arts institution in Asia. Committed to sustainability, she has championed SDG-aligned initiatives, including green theatres and environmentally responsible performing arts facilities. As inaugural Head of Dance at WKCDA (from 2014-18), she shaped the district’s artistic vision and cultural infrastructure, launching innovative interdisciplinary programmes and the Creative Meeting Point initiative to foster international exchange. She also co-founded the Asia Network for Dance (AND+), connecting 14 international partners and strengthening regional and global collaboration. A distinguished scholar-practitioner, Professor Chan holds professorial and visiting appointments at leading institutions in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Her honours include the Hong Kong Dance Award, Hong Kong Arts Development Award, Distinguished Achievement Award, and AmCham Leading Woman in Arts, Sports & Leisure.
Gulnora Musaeva
Director
Tamara Khanum House Museum
Gulnora Musaeva is a prominent Uzbek cultural leader, producer, arts administrator, arts expert, artistic consultant, and specialist in national dance arts, with extensive experience in music, performing arts, cultural heritage, and international cultural projects. She currently serves as Director of the Tamara Khanum House Museum under the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Her professional career began in 1979 as a ballet artist with the State Folk Dance Ensemble “Bahor” named after Mukarrama Turgunbaeva, performing internationally and promoting Uzbek national dance across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, North America, and Latin America. Ms. Musaeva has held senior positions across Uzbekistan’s cultural sector. In 2011, she served as Deputy Director of the “Sharq Taronalari” International Music Festival, and in 2018 headed its International Relations Department. From 2016 to 2019, she taught producing and concert and touring activities at the Uzbekistan State Institute of Arts and Culture. From 2018 to 2022, she headed the department responsible for the organization and development of national dance and choreographic arts at the State Institution “Uzbekconcert.” From 2022 to 2026, she served as Director of the “Bahor” State Dance Ensemble. Ms. Musaeva was the author and organizer of the “Raqs Sehri” International Dance Festival (2017–2020). She served as Art Director and Organizing Committee member for multiple editions of the “International Maqom Art Forum” (2016, 2018, 2024), the “International Festival of Bakhshi Art” (2019, 2021, 2023), the “Lazgi” International Dance Festival (2022, 2024, 2026), and the “Sharq Taronalari” International Music Festival (2005–2024). She was also a consultant for the ballet “Lazgi: Dance of Soul and Love” in 2021. In 2018, she was a member of the scientific commission that prepared the nomination documentation for the Khorezm dance “Lazgi” for UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Reactor
Johannes Mueller
Director
msm-productions (Singapore) Pte Ltd
Johannes Mueller has been active as Recording Producer for over 30 years. Recording with Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) since 2004 has led Johannes to found his company msm-productions (Singapore) in 2011, to better serve the Asian markets with his specialist expertise of music media production. Further recording activities in Asia have brought him to Doha, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, Taipei, Kaohsiung and Seoul. From 2015-2022, Johannes had been assigned to be Munich Philharmonic Orchestra’s (MPhil) Recording Producer for their Music Director Valery Gergiev. Since 2018 and just renewed until 2029, SSO has contracted msm-productions to manage and operate Rose Studio at Victoria Concert Hall. During the inaugurational phase of Munich’s new Isarphilharmonie in autumn 2021, Johannes’s full-time responsibility was to assist the orchestra in finding the acoustically best seating arrangement on stage and in adapting its characteristic sound to the very different new environment, compared to their previous home Philharmonie im Gasteig. In 2022, Asia becomes focus point for Johannes’s activities again, bringing Dolby Atmos recording approaches to Singapore’s Esplanade Concert Hall. Recent releases include Brahms Symphonies with Zubin Mehta/MPhil and Mozart Violin Concertos with Chloe Chua and Hans Graf/SSO. A very recent addition to the portfolio of Johannes’s activities is to introduce the idea of Active Acoustics to his business friends in Asia.
Moderator
Cindy Hwang
Founder and President
InPulse Creatives, LLC
Cindy Hwang is an international cultural strategist, performing arts programmer, and arts executive with more than 20 years of experience building collaborations across the United States, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. As Founder and President of InPulse Creatives, she advises artists, festivals, presenters, and cultural institutions on international programming, audience development, and cross-border partnerships. From 2022 to 2026, Cindy served as Music Programmer for Ithra (King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture) in Saudi Arabia, where she curated a diverse portfolio of international performances and helped expand music education and community engagement initiatives. She also supported the Saudi Ministry of Culture's Music Commission in launching the Kingdom's first Lang Lang Summer Piano Intensive Program, a milestone in Saudi Arabia's cultural development. Throughout her career, Cindy has worked with leading international arts organizations including Columbia Artists Management (CAMI), Concert Artists Guild, and BMG International, developing global touring, artist development, and cultural exchange initiatives. She is also the creator of the Artist Career Development Residency with the Stauffer Center for Strings in Italy and producer of Close Encounters, a series featuring influential voices in the performing arts. A sought-after speaker and moderator, Cindy regularly contributes to international forums on cultural diplomacy, global touring, and arts leadership. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Federation of Asian Cultural Promotion (FACP), where she continues to champion international collaboration through the performing arts.
Reactor
SYMPOSIUM (1)
Arts Organizations in a Period of Uncertainty
10 September 2026 | 14:30
Lisa Macuja Elizalde
Artistic Director and CEO
Ballet Manila
Highly regarded as a modern-day icon in the Philippine arts and culture community, Lisa Macuja Elizalde was the country’s first and only locally-based prima ballerina for three decades, until her retirement in 2017. Lisa graduated with honors from the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in 1984 under the class of Tatiana A. Udalenkova. As a soloist of the Kirov (now Mariinsky) Ballet for two seasons, her most memorable debuts include the title role in Giselle and as Kitri in Don Quixote (for which she was coached by prima ballerina Gabriela Komleva). She returned to Manila in 1986, determined to champion her country in the ballet capitals of the world as a Philippine-based principal ballerina and a highly sought-after international guest artist. In 1995, she founded her own company, Ballet Manila, which continues to flourish as one of the most formidable classical ballet companies in Asia under her leadership, with dancers trained exclusively in the Vaganova Method. As an artist and visionary, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde has received numerous awards for excellence, both locally and internationally, including the Ten Outstanding Young Filipinos (1995), Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP), and the Order of International Friendship from the Russian Federation (2001). In 2008, Lisa founded Project Ballet Futures (PBF) an internationally recognized community scholarship program that trains deserving students in the arts and science of dance. Today, she continues to inspire and support young dancers as artistic director of Ballet Manila and director of the Lisa Macuja School of Ballet. She has been invited to sit as a jury member in a number of international ballet competitions, and has given numerous master classes throughout Asia, as well as in the USA, UK, Russia and Australia. As a competition coach, Lisa has mentored prizewinning ballerinas who now enjoy successful careers as principal artists of major companies, including The San Francisco Ballet’s Katherine Barkman (silver medalist, 2018 USA IBC and 2018 Varna IBC; Grand Prix, 2015 Asian Grand Prix) and Joffrey Ballet’s Christine Rocas (silver medalist and Arpino awardee, 2005 New York IBC). Moreover, she reaches out to inspire and motivate artists from various disciplines through her various capacities as advocate for arts education and audience development, community leader, patron, philanthropist, and motivational speaker. As a multi-media artist, Lisa has hosted a radio show and appeared in a number of TV shows and commercial endorsements. In 2023, Lisa made her acting debut in the American TV series, Almost Paradise.
Dada Gum
CEO and Founder, Birdhouse Creatives
Chief Managing Director, Gum Nanse Music Center
Dada Gum is the CEO and founder of Birdhouse Creatives, a classical music production company specializing in concert planning, artist management, concert hall management and international cultural exchange. He specializes in organizing concerts and tours of classical music ensembles and instrumentalists worldwide. He has worked with internationally renowned soloists and ensembles as well as young talents at the beginning of their careers. He has been active in the classical music business since 2015 and has worked as a producer and manager for his father, Maestro Gum Nanse, a renowned conductor and artistic director in Korea, and also for New World Philharmonic Orchestra (NWPO), which his father founded in 1997. He is also currently the chief managing director at Gum Nanse Music Center (GMC) in Busan, Korea, a concert hall which opened in 2021, specializing in chamber music and promoting young generations of highly talented classical musicians in Korea. Since its opening in 2021, he has produced more than 230 chamber music concerts and large-scale annual summer music festivals for 5 consecutive years at GMC. Dada Gum was born in Seoul, Korea, and spent 11 years in Europe during his formative years, where he studied and lived. He earned a master's degree in International Business (MSc) from King's College London, UK. In addition to his professional career, he is also a highly accomplished pianist.
Dr. Asako Ishida
Professor
Showa University of Music
A native of Hiroshima, Dr. Asako Ishida is a leading authority on theater studies and cultural policy in Japan. She serves as Professor and Assistant to the President at Showa University of Music, where she is also Director of both the Opera Research Institute and the Institute for Performing Arts Policy. Additionally, she lectures at Tokyo University of the Arts, from which she earned her Ph.D. Dr. Ishida holds numerous key advisory and executive roles. She is Chair of the Editorial Committee for the Japan Opera Yearbook, Program Director at the Japan Arts Council, Vice Chair of the Kanagawa Prefecture Council for the Promotion of Culture and the Arts, and a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture. Furthermore, she serves on the Japanese government’s Committee on Culture and the Economy as well as the Committee on Cultural Facilities. An internationally recognized scholar, Dr. Ishida has delivered keynote addresses and expert presentations at prestigious global venues, including Peking University, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Opera Europa conferences, and an international symposium for the new Busan Opera House. She is the author and editor of extensive publications in her field. Her major single-authored works include Citizen Opera (2022) and A Perspective on Subsidising Arts and Culture: Strategic Investment by Arts Council England (2021). A native of Hiroshima, Dr. Asako Ishida is a leading authority on theater studies and cultural policy in Japan. She serves as Professor and Assistant to the President at Showa University of Music, where she is also Director of both the Opera Research Institute and the Institute for Performing Arts Policy. Additionally, she lectures at Tokyo University of the Arts, from which she earned her Ph.D. Dr. Ishida holds numerous key advisory and executive roles. She is Chair of the Editorial Committee for the Japan Opera Yearbook, Program Director at the Japan Arts Council, Vice Chair of the Kanagawa Prefecture Council for the Promotion of Culture and the Arts, and a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture. Furthermore, she serves on the Japanese government’s Committee on Culture and the Economy as well as the Committee on Cultural Facilities. An internationally recognized scholar, Dr. Ishida has delivered keynote addresses and expert presentations at prestigious global venues, including Peking University, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Opera Europa conferences, and an international symposium for the new Busan Opera House. She is the author and editor of extensive publications in her field. Her major single-authored works include Citizen Opera (2022) and A Perspective on Subsidising Arts and Culture: Strategic Investment by Arts Council England (2021).
Martin Lopez
Senior Director
Far Eastern University Center for the Arts
After graduation from Connecticut College, Martin started his own arts management company called SinagTala, translated as Shining Stars, to promote Filipinos in classical, choral and ethnic music. As he built his name in the Manila concert circuit, he joined the Board of Trustees of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). While there, he became a member and then a governor and two term Secretary General of the Federation for Asian Cultural Promotion (FACP). When his term ended at the CCP, he joined Far Eastern University (FEU) to run its President’s Committee on Culture, now the FEU Center for the Arts. Martin is the current President of the Association for Cultural Offices in Philippine Educational Institutions. He sits on the boards of the Museum Foundation of the Philippines, Inc., the Federation for Asian Cultural Promotion and the Vallehermoso Helping Hands Foundation. He also served on the board of the Friends for Cultural Concerns of the Philippines. He was recently appointed a commissioner of UNESCO Philippines and elected into the board of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA). When time permits, Martin gives walking tours of Manila: #walkmanilawithmartin
Panelist
Panelist
Moderator
Panelist
SYMPOSIUM (2)
Current Situation in Arts Touring and Promotions
11 September 2026 | 09:30
.jpeg)
Freya Waterson
Creative Producer and Director
VISIONS
Freya is an Independent Creative Producer based in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia. Through her practice, VISIONS, she investigates ways of working that expand, adapt and advocate for independent and intercultural practice. Throughout her career, Freya has collaborated with some of Australia’s most respected artists and companies to deliver collaborative projects across scale, context, form and genre. Freya is a sought-after international engagement and marketplace advisor with expertise across Asia, Europe and North America. She has facilitated the presentation of over 100 performance seasons across 22 countries, and produced numerous international conferences, events, delegations and partnerships. In the decade before establishing VISIONS, Freya worked across film, gaming, performance, music and multi-artform festivals in presenting contexts in Australia and the UK. She is currently a planning team member for The Asian Producers Platform and sits on Chamber Made’s Artistic Advisory. Freya was the inaugural recipient of the Playking Foundation’s Independent Producers Fellowship.
Photo credit: Gregory Lorenzutti
Panelist
Kenny Ooi
Founder and CEO
Rondo Production
Born in Penang, Kenny Ooi is a social entrepreneur, musician, and producer active across Asia, committed to elevating music education and performance. In 2019, he founded Rondo Production to position Malaysia as a regional hub for world-class music learning and artistic collaboration. His work has earned multiple regional accolades, including recognition as one of the Top 20 Social Entrepreneurs in Australia and ASEAN, one of Asia’s Top 10 Young Impact Leaders, and one of SEADOM’s 30 Young Music Leaders. As a performer, Kenny has appeared with leading ensembles such as the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, the West Australian Youth Orchestra, and the Asian Youth Orchestra, with whom he toured 11 major cities across Asia. Beyond the stage, he has produced and managed conferences, competitions, concerts, and festivals throughout Southeast Asia, shaping programmes that influence the region’s artistic ecosystem. A recognised voice in the field, Kenny has spoken at international platforms and actively champions music education. He contributes to regional cultural development through leadership roles with the Southeast Asia Directors of Music Association, the Federation for Asian Cultural Promotion, and the Penang Arts Council.
Panelist
Sasapin Siriwanij
Artistic Director
Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting
Sasapin Siriwanij is a performing arts producer, curator, and artist based in Bangkok. She holds both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in English from the Faculty of Arts at Chulalongkorn University. Her artistic and curatorial practices focus on the body, personal empowerment, authentic connections, social critique, and societal transformation. Since 2018, she has served as the Artistic Director of the Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting (BIPAM), while actively pursuing an artistic and producing career in both Thailand and internationally.
Photo credit: Jiraphat Vinagupta
Moderator
Paul Tam
Executive Director, Performing Arts
West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
Paul Tam has served as Executive Director, Performing Arts, at the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WestK) in Hong Kong since March 2020. Spanning 40 hectares of reclaimed land along the iconic Victoria Harbour, WestK stands as one of the world’s most ambitious cultural projects – a dynamic blend of arts, education, open space, hospitality, commercial and lifestyle experiences. In his role, Paul leads the Performing Arts Division, which oversees two flagship venues – the Xiqu Centre and Freespace – and is guiding the development of the WestK Performing Arts Centre, scheduled to open in 2027. He is responsible for shaping the Division’s strategic vision and sustainable growth, directing its artistic, programming, operational, financial, fundraising and business affairs. The Division’s portfolio embraces an extraordinary range of disciplines, from Chinese opera, theatre and dance to music and community learning initiatives. Before joining WestK, Paul built a distinguished career in the performing arts, spanning symphony, ballet and literary organisations. His professional career has spanned from Toronto and Washington D.C. to Hong Kong, where he has held leadership roles including Executive Director of the Hong Kong Ballet and General Manager of the Hong Kong International Literary Festival. Paul currently serves as a Director of the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA), a Board Member and former Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Administrators Association (HKAAA), a Governor of the Federation for Asian Cultural Promotion (FACP), and an Advisor to Our Hong Kong Foundation (OHKF).
Panelist
SYMPOSIUM (3)
Securing Arts Audiences in the Future
11 September 2026 | 11:10
Mohammad Abdoh Damit
Director of Culture and the Arts
Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Brunei Darussalam
A musician at heart, Haji Awang Mohammad Abdoh bin Haji Awang Damit has built a career that brings together artistic practice, cultural sociology, public policy, technology, and international cultural diplomacy. As a composer, conductor, performer, and cultural administrator, he views culture not simply as heritage to be preserved, but as a living social system shaped by people, institutions, values, and everyday practice. This perspective is reflected in his book, Cultural Sociology: The Evolution of Culture, and in his wider research and writing on cultural identity, heritage, cultural policy, and the cultural and creative industries. His academic background is multidisciplinary. He holds three Master’s degrees: a Master of Business Administration from the University of Queensland, a Master of Music Education from the University of London, and a Master of Government from Universiti Brunei Darussalam, in addition to a BSc Education in Mathematics. He also completed the Executive Development Programme for Senior Government Officers in 2024, conducted by MINDEF in collaboration with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, where he was recognised among the Top 10 participants and for a Top 5 Policy Paper. Earlier, he completed the Executive Development Programme for Middle Management Officers at UBD. In government, his work has focused strongly on policy research, formulation, strategic planning, and implementation. He has led research, consultation, drafting, and implementation strategies related to the National Cultural Policy, and has contributed to the development of policy thinking on the cultural and creative industries (CCI), including research on their economic contribution and role in national diversification. His approach combines cultural sociology with public administration, using evidence, stakeholder engagement, data, and strategic frameworks to connect culture with broader national development priorities. At the regional and international levels, he has contributed through AMCA, SOMCA, ASEAN-COCI, BIMP-EAGA, UNESCO, and ICESCO. He has served as Chair of the ASEAN-COCI Sub-Committee on Culture and the BIMP-EAGA Socio-Cultural and Education Cluster, and has supported major ASEAN cultural initiatives, including the ASEAN Sculpture project at Taman Damuan. He played an instrumental role in Brunei Darussalam’s involvement in the UNESCO Kebaya nomination and subsequent work on Pantun and Ambuyat, helping strengthen the country’s visibility in intangible cultural heritage. Alongside culture and policy, he has a strong interest in robotics, STEM and STEAM education, artificial intelligence, and innovation, particularly in how technology can support learning, heritage interpretation, creative practice, and future workforce development. His scholarly contributions include a chapter in UNESCO’s Agree to Differ and “The Mudra in the Dances of ASEAN: A Hypothesis.” Across these roles, he continues to connect music, cultural sociology, government policy, diplomacy, and technology in support of Brunei Darussalam’s cultural and creative development.
Panelist
Lynn Yau
CEO
The Absolutely Fabulous Theatre Connection
Lynn Yau is the CEO at AFTEC, a multiple award-winning Hong Kong NGO that focuses on the arts for transformative change in education institutions, arts establishments and the community. Her passion lies in bridging the inherent, and as yet less recognised, powers of the arts to audience development and education, cultivating capabilities and capacities through nurturing creative mindsets in young people in addition to training professionals across diverse disciplines, empowering them to rekindle and deploy their Artistic Intelligence in a world of dynamic uncertainty for the common good. She is a published author. In 2025, her book Evolving Creative Mindsets: Thinking Through the Arts (HKU Press), was hailed by Eric Booth as "hitting the bull's eye exactly" and Prof Anne Bamford as "a practical handbook and visionary manifesto". Also last year, her essay Slow is More: Teaching & Learning Collaboratively was a commissioned piece in The Slow Professor 10th Anniversary Edition (University of Toronto Press). Her interview with Professor Ellen Winner was published online in Project Zero and Its Impact, Harvard Graduate School of Education in late 2025.
Panelist
Raymond Wong
Deputy General Director
National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying)
Raymond Wong is the Deputy General Director of the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) in Taiwan, the world’s largest performing arts center under one roof. At the helm of this landmark institution, Raymond spearheads its public-facing growth, managing comprehensive portfolios across marketing, global brand building, philanthropy, creative learning, and civic arts participation. With over 25 years of extensive experience in performing arts management and international producing, Raymond previously spent 15 years shaping the cultural landscape of Hong Kong. As Managing Director (2014–2021) and Project Manager (2006–2014) of the City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC), he pioneered proactive, multi-disciplinary audience development initiatives. Notably, he curated "Jumping Frames"—one of Asia’s premier dance film festivals—and produced several large-scale, site-specific productions designed to bring performing arts directly into the public sphere. Leveraging his executive expertise, Raymond also serves as an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Hong Kong School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE), where he specializes in teaching strategic audience development, arts marketing, and cultural management. He holds an MA in Arts and Cultural Enterprise from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, and a BA in European Studies from Hong Kong Baptist University.
Moderator
.jpg)
Larissa Berdine Nodalo
Director
De La Salle University
Culture and Arts Office
Larissa Berdine "Issay" Nodalo is the new Director for DLSU Culture and Arts Office. An alumna of both the University and CAO, she brings her knowledge, skills, experience, and love for performing arts back to where her career in cultural development began. She graduated from De La Salle University with a degree in Advertising Management, received a post-graduate diploma from Thames International under the Innovation & Creative Entrepreneurship Program, and obtained a Master’s degree in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management. As a marketing professional, she has handled multiple brands as a Strategic Planner in Aspac Creative Communications (now Dentsu Creatives Manila), and McCann Worldgroup Philippines. She is a Co-Founder and formerly the President of The Performing Arts and Recreation Center (PARC) Foundation, a non-profit organization which provides artistic life skills training to underprivileged children. She also served as the Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Manager of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, the international non-profit organization behind what is often dubbed as Asia's Nobel Prize.