Yip Wing-sie broke the glass ceiling of a traditional, Euro-centric and male-dominated classical music scene when she was named Hong Kong Sinfonietta’s first female music director in 2002. Yip was also the first woman to be taken on as a resident conductor with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 1986.
Eighteen years later and even after battling cancer, Yip retains her position with the Sinfonietta and status as one of the most respected, in-demand and influential figures in classical music in Asia.
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Climbing Mount Everest
Junko Tabei, from Japan, was the first woman to reach the summit of Everest on May 16, 1975, at the age of 35. Photo by John van Hasselt/Corbis via Getty Images