Hi Ching

Creative Director

Hi Ching studied at the Royal Ballet School (Dancers’ Course) and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (Graduate Course – 1st studies in piano and singing, 2nd study in music composition). He danced with the Frankfurt Ballet, Royal Opera, and English National Opera, then worked as an actor, appearing on TV, film and stage before turning to directing, writing and composing.

He has created and directed an extensive range of theatre based, site-specific and outdoor work for organisations including the nationwide Silk Screens for the BBC, Royal National Theatre, South Bank Centre, The Museum in Docklands, Museum of London, V & A, British Museum, Chinese Arts Centre, the Taipei Representative Office, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Hong Kong Tourism Board and local councils at theatres, arts and festivals across the UK.

He was first prize national winner of a short story competition in the UK in 1996. Two of his plays which he directed and produced with the Albany Theatre were Hungry For It and You Beat Me, I Love You which received critical acclaim. He won ‘Best Composition’ at the Fo Guang Temple International ‘Voices of the World’ Music Competition in 2005 which led to a commission of an outdoor musical on the life of Buddha Journey Of Wisdom, which he also scripted and directed, and received prizes every year at this Competition for three consecutive years. He has composed music for the BBC, films, theatre and outdoor performances. He was Head of the Upper School at the Urdang Academy in 1981. In 1982 he became Principal of Ballet Theatre School / Dance Theatre Academy for ten years. He has received many grants and awards for his artistic projects. He has been Artistic Director of FIPA since 2007.