Barbican's artistic director Hong Kong-bound

So Graham Sheffield, artistic director of London's Barbican, is to leave to run a new multi-arts complex in Hong Kong, becoming chief executive of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority in August. Plans for the yet-to-be-built centre are ambitious: numerous venues are anticipated, including galleries, theatres and concert halls. Sheffield's departure is no surprise: he was in talks to run an arts centre in Iceland before the country's financial problems. It will be intriguing to see whether the Barbican appoints a direct successor, or whether his role will be parcelled out between the centre's managing director, Sir Nicholas Kenyon, and the venue's talented programmers, who include head of theatre Louise Jeffreys, and Robert Van Leer, head of music.