RUNDOWN:

17:45 Registration
18:00 Conversation
19:00 Q&A with Audience
19:15 Program ends

ASHK member price: HKD 180
Non-member price: HKD 200

Cathy Barbash has worked in the China-US cultural sphere since 1993, when she brought the Philadelphia Orchestra back to Beijing and Shanghai for the first time since their historic 1973 visit. Barbash’s presentation will offer an overview of the evolution of China-US cultural diplomacy over the past 30 years, during which she contributed to the reform of China’s cultural industry and conceived and produced numerous performing arts projects. She will share stories of her favorite projects, as well as an assessment of the current state of China-US cultural diplomacy and ideas for how relations might improve.

Cathy Barbash is a specialist in cultural diplomacy and creative industry development and an independent producer, focusing on projects with the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Cuba. She first came to China as Orchestra Manager of the Philadelphia Orchestra, producing their 1993 first return to China since their historic 1973 tour. She was also the lead architect of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s current ongoing China tour/residency project.

For her transformative leadership in the performing arts, Barbash received a 2015 Silver Magnolia Award from the Shanghai government in recognition of her longtime contributions to the economic and social development of the city, and the 2018 Patrick Hayes Award from the International Society for the Performing Arts.

For 40 years, she has been managing and consulting for organizations including The Philadelphia Orchestra, the U.S. Department of State, The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, The Ministry of Culture of the PRC, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Juilliard School, Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, China Shanghai International Arts Festival, and the China National Centre for the Performing Arts.  She is a member of the International Advisory Council of the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Museum and the National Committee on United States-China Relations.

Yuen-ying Chan (moderator) is an award-winning journalist and media consultant. She served as professor and founding director (1998-2016) of The University of Hong Kong’s Journalism and Media Studies Centre. Earlier in her career, she spent 23 years in New York City covering immigration, campaign finance and US-China relations for the New York Daily News, NBC News and Chinese-language dailies. She is co-founder of the Environmental Reporting Collective, a global network of journalists in Asia and Africa, and is on the board of management of Digital Asia Hub.

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