Iola Lenzi (Singapore)

A lawyer by training, Iola Lenzi is a Singapore-based critic and independent curator specialising in the contemporary visual art of Southeast Asia. She is the Singapore correspondent for The Asian Art newspaper, London, a contributing editor to C-ARTS, Jakarta/Singapore, as well as a frequent contributor to other international art publications. Having conducted research on regional contemporary art for over a decade, she takes a synthetic view of Southeast Asian artistic practice, many of her texts and exhibitions seeking to bring commonalities of theme, expressive language and approach to the fore. The author of two books, she has also written extensively and in depth about a number of the region's seminal contemporary practitioners, and has curated exhibitions in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Bangkok.

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Kok Heng Leun (Singapore)

The artistic director of Drama Box, Kok Heng Leun has been named by theatre critics as the promising director "to power Singapore Theatre in the years to come" and to "convince ordinary folks that theatre is not intimidating". With Kok at the helm, Drama Box has become known for exciting works, staged at major theatre venues as well as community housing estates, that often address relevant social issues. In 2010, he co-directed SCENES: Singapore’s Chinese Language Theatre, a multi-activity programme to celebrate the Singapore Chinese language theatre scene while providing documentation of and a reflection on its development since the 1920s. Kok has extensive experience in both English and Mandarin productions, having directed close to 60 plays, including The Spirits Play (India 2010), Trick or Threat (Austria 2009 and Singapore 2007) and Drift (Macao 2009, Singapore 2008 and China 2007).

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Kyu Choi (Korea)

Creative producer of AsiaNow, Kyu Choi’s professional career started with the Chuncheon International Mime Festival, an annual performing arts festival for mime, physical theatre, street theatre, contemporary circus and site-specific theatre. At the CIMF, Kyu focused on programming and artist development, while helping the festival grow into one of Korea’s best known performing arts festivals. In 2005 Kyu founded AsiaNow Productions in order to develop, produce and present innovative and exciting Asian contemporary physical theatre, dance and interdisciplinary arts, including A Midsummer Night's Dream (Yonghanza Theatre Company) and Woyzeck (Sadari Movement Laboratory), both now internationally acclaimed with extensive touring schedules. In addition, Kyu has taught international touring and theatre production at the Korea National University of the Arts, and has worked as a consultant for Korean arts management and theatre development.

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Lim How Ngean (Malaysia)

Lim How Ngean has been actively involved in the performing arts for the past 20 years in various capacities. He has been a performer in productions in Singapore and Malaysia, working with critically acclaimed directors such as Ong Keng Sen, Krishen Jit and William Teo. He has contributed to arts journalism in Malaysia by writing reviews and features on dance and theatre. Lim has also been involved in dramaturgical projects, the most recent being the dance performance Q&A at the 2009 Singapore Arts Festival. He is currently a PhD scholar at the Theatre Studies department in National University of Singapore. His research interests include intercultural performance, issues of embodiment and identity, and the politics of dance.

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Rajesh Hardwani (Singapore)

Rajesh Hardwani (formerly known as r-H or DJ r-H) started out as a DJ in the late 80s. Growing up, he fed himself musically on everything from funk and soul to blues and hip-hop. This wide variety of influences would later play a vital role in his work as a music producer. He eventually expanded his creative palette even further to include electronica, big beat, drum and bass, jazz and much more. He takes these countless styles and meshes them together into a remarkably cohesive and wildly infectious sound that is all his own. The diversity of Rajesh’s music includes elements of Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Malaysian and Arabian cultures, and is shaped by psychology, culture, technology and travel experiences as well as the people and politics of the worlds around him. His debut electronica album, Black Asia Volume 1, is followed by Black Asia Volume 2.

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Roshni Pillay Kesavan (Singapore)

Roshni Pillay Kesavan, a medical doctor by profession, began dancing at the age of six. She was trained by Madhavi Muthu of the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society and subsequently studied with Neila Sathyalingam, a Singapore Cultural Medallion recipient. She further expanded her repertoire with many dance choreographers, notably Krishnaveni Lakshmanan, Adyar K. Lakshmanan and Girish Kumar Panicker. Her dancing has also benefited from a sound grounding in carnatic Indian music acquired through her study of the veena, under the tutelage of Lalgudi A. Padmavathy. Roshni has performed solo performances and lead roles in group performances, in Singapore and abroad. Her full-length solo productions, Krishna Krida (1999), Maya (2001) and Rasa (2004), One Light (2005) were very well received. In December 2004 and 2006, she performed at the Tamil Isai Sangam for the Chennai Music and Dance Festival.

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T. Sasitharan (Singapore)

T. Sasitharan (Sasi) is co-founder and director of the Theatre Training and Research Programme (TTRP), a peak, tertiary-level theatre conservatory, one of the most reputable and innovative theatre programmes in the world. Together with the late Kuo Pao Kun, Sasi conceived and established TTRP in August 2000. TTRP is one of the founding members of independent arts social enterprise, Emily Hill. He was the artistic director of The Substation from April 1996 to August 2000. An important writer and commentator, he has had articles ranging from commentaries on Singapore culture and the arts to reviews of performances, exhibitions, talks and catalogue entries published both in Singapore and abroad.

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Tang Fu Kuen (Singapore)

Tang Fu Kuen is a dramaturg, curator and producer working in different contexts – from performance to film to visual arts, across contemporary and heritage arts development, between Asia and Europe. He curated the Singapore Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2009 where artist Ming Wong won special mention from the jury. He produces for dancemakers Pichet Klunchun, Jecko Siompo and Nan Jombang.

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Wang Ya-Hui (Singapore)

Wang Ya-Hui is currently the music director of the Conservatory Orchestra and associate professor at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore. A well-known figure in the international music scene and a recipient of top prizes from prestigious international conducting competitions, Maestra Wang has appeared as guest conductor with many orchestras in the USA, Denmark, Finland, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. She led the Royal Danish Orchestra and Ballet on a national tour of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and received critical acclaim for Evergreen Symphony Orchestra’s debut concert tours in Asia. Sought after for her sensitive interpretation of solo and orchestral repertoire, she has also collaborated with many of the world's great solo artists, most recently with Renée Fleming. In 2010, she was invited to be a distinguished speaker at the International Conductors Conference in Denmark.

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