Prison Yard Festival, Tai Kwun (Hong Kong)

Tai Kwun, Hong Kong’s decommissioned Central Police Station compound, reopened in spring 2018 as a non-governmental venue (cited by UNESCO in 2019) dually devoted to heritage conservation and cutting-edge artistic creation. The Prison Yard Festival (est. 2023), created in Tai Kwun’s spirit of repurposing historic spaces, reinvents the iconic courtyard where felons were once granted exercise privileges into a forward-thinking concert space focused on erasing cultural barriers, with each season hosting an international resident ensemble setting a theme for additional interactions with Hong Kong’s young professional musicians. (West-East Divan Ensemble, 2023; Australian Chamber Orchestra, 2024)