Professor Kevin Thompson
Recognised internationally as one of the most pre-eminent performing conservatoire and arts academy directors, he became the UK’s youngest president when he was appointed to the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 1988. He was president of Dartington 1993-2004, and in 2004, moved to Asia to assume presidency of Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. In 2012 he was invited to help found a collegiate system within the University of Macau, and to serve as inaugural Master (Director do Colégio, Professor Especialmente Recrutado) of one of the first of its Colleges, on the newly-acquired island of Hengqin. During his UK years, he was a member of the Prime Minister’s High-Level Advisory Group for International Students, Chairman Royal West of England Academy; Chairman Pilot Theatre Company, Theatre Royal York; and as a Cabinet Office appointee and board member of Arts University Bournemouth. Currently, serves as President of Macau European Chambers of Commerce, Vice Chairman of BritCham Macau; and as Board Director of French Association Culturelle Le French May; French Macau Business Association; and Board Orquestra de Macau. Joint initiatives with Macau have recently included, William Christie, Michel Dalberto, BBC PO, Vienna Philharmonic, Academy of St Martins in the Fields; and with Oxford and Cambridge Colleges, Christ Church Oxford; Girton, Gonville and Caius, Robinson, Clare College and Clare Hall.
Awards:
Honorary awards include OBE for services to the Arts and to UK and Hong Kong cultural exchanges (Queen’s New Year’s Honours List 2011); Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, for Education and Public Understanding in March 2012; and highest French Knighthoods, Légion d’honneur 2017 & Officier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 2012, on nomination of President Macron and earlier, Frédéric Mitterrand, (Minister of Culture and Communication). Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2022.