Yip Wing-Sie

In Asia’s orchestral music scene, one woman’s name stands out above all others: Yip Wing-sie, who relentlessly pursued her dreams to become a music conductor in an arena long dominated by males. Yip was gifted and determined – aged just 26, she was already the resident conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2002, she took up the baton as music director of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and since 2020 she has served as the ensemble’s music director emeritus. Yip’s list of accolades runs long: she won first prize at the 35th Concours International des Jeunes Chefs d’Orchestre de Besançon, France in 1985, and became a fellow of London’s Royal College of Music in 2010. After receiving the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French Ministry of Culture in 2007, she was bestowed the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite in 2015. In 2013, she was awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star by the Hong Kong SAR Government.