Cover Christoph Poppen (Photo: courtesy of Hong Kong Sinfonietta)

Yip Wing-sie, who has been leading the city’s sinfonietta since 2002, will step down from her music director and conductor role to be replaced by German conductor and violinist

Hong Kong Sinfonietta, one of the city’s major symphony orchestras, announces the appointment of Christoph Poppen as the new music director starting with the 2023/24 season. He will replace Yip Wing-sie, one of the most well-respected female music leaders of Asia, who in 2018 led the orchestra in its new musical direction.

Poppen has announced that the sinfonietta will tour Europe in April and July, and will continue to promote local musicians by giving them priority in auditions and nurture young talents through the HKS Artist Associate scheme.

Poppen, a conductor, soloist, chamber musician and pedagogue, is currently also the principal conductor of Cologne Chamber orchestra, principal guest conductor of the Israel Chamber Orchestra and the artistic director of the Marvao International Music Festival. Poppen says that “musicians don’t stay in one place”, and that he expects to spend his time between Hong Kong and other cities overseas.

Tatler Asia
Above Christoph Poppen conducting Hong Kong Sinfonietta (Photo: courtesy of HK Sinfonietta)

The new music director is no stranger to the Hong Kong Sinfonietta—he has been the principal guest conductor since the 2015/2016 season. Yip met Poppen more than 20 years ago in Berlin and describes him as “a great musician with a warm heart”. Both Yip and Margaret Yang, chief executive officer of the sinfonietta, express their confidence in Poppen’s leadership.

Yip will remain the music director emeritus to the sinfonietta and says her “role will be more like a consultant”.