Professor Gillian Choa, Director of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA), has expressed to the Council her intention of retiring from the post after the completion of her current tenure on 31 August 2024 and hence not seeking re-appointment. Professor Choa has accepted the invitation of the Council to stay until 31 December 2024 to help ensure smooth transition. 

The Council of the HKAPA respected the decision of Professor Choa and expressed gratitude for her effort in leading the Academy to develop as the top performing arts institute in Asia. Professor Choa has served in the HKAPA for 28 years with devotion. She has been enthusiastic in fostering the education of Chinese and Western arts and is well respected. 

The Council will form a committee to conduct global search for the next Director.

About The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (www.hkapa.edu)
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA), established by The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Ordinance in 1984, is a leading tertiary institution in the performing arts in Asia. It provides professional undergraduate education and practice-based postgraduate studies. The study encompasses Chinese Opera, Dance, Drama, Film and Television, Music, and Theatre and Entertainment Arts. Its educational philosophy reflects the cultural diversity of Hong Kong with emphasis on Chinese and Western traditions, and interdisciplinary learning.

Since 2008, the Academy has attained the Programme Area Accreditation (PAA) status awarded by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) to self-monitor and accredit its own undergraduate and post-secondary programmes in the five programme areas of Dance, Drama, Film and Television, Music, and Theatre and Entertainment Arts. Since 2016, the PAA status has been extended to cover Master’s Degree programmes and below; and since 2023, the programmes operated by the School of Chinese Opera accredited by HKCAAVQ has also received PAA status for its post-secondary and undergraduate programmes.  

Besides the main campus in Wanchai, Béthanie, the site of the Academy’s Landmark Heritage Campus in Pokfulam, has housed training facilities for the School of Film and Television since 2006.  

In the QS University Rankings announced in 2024, the Academy ranks 1st in Asia in the Performing Arts category.