Tu joins conductor Edo de Waart, who took up his post in the fall of 2004, and Timothy Calnin, named chief executive in June 2005, on the HKPO's leadership team.

"Being both a professional musician and an experienced administrator, Song brings the ideal combination of profound musical knowledge and professional artistic planning experience," Calnin said in a statement. "He is going to be a great asset to the Hong Kong Philharmonic, adding weight and authority to the administration's artistic department, and understanding the intricacies of orchestral life from the inside."