Leadership Spotlight: Clara H. Cao, Founding Director of Harmonaire Musique

June 29, 2025 | Montréal, QC


Harmonaire Musique is proud to spotlight the leadership of its Founder and Executive Director, Ms. Clara Hong Cao, whose interdisciplinary career spans more than two decades at the intersection of technology, systems innovation, and cultural advocacy. A Canadian technologist and organizational leader, Ms. Cao founded Harmonaire Musique in June 2025 with the vision of building a new national platform for classical music — one that champions emerging artists, fosters intercultural dialogue, and reimagines the role of music in contemporary society.

With a professional background in software engineering and systems architecture, Ms. Cao holds certifications as a Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD) and possesses extensive expertise in programming languages and frameworks such as C#, .NET, C++, HTML, JavaScript, and embedded systems. Her early career in China saw her rise rapidly to the role of national project director for the Chinese railway radio dispatch system — a critical communications infrastructure implemented across the country’s rail networks. She oversaw the complete project lifecycle, including nationwide field deployment and technical training across 50+ cities.

After immigrating to Canada, Ms. Cao continued her work in the IT and software sectors for over two decades, contributing to large-scale technology solutions across both private and public institutions. Her leadership has consistently demonstrated a rare combination of technical depth, operational foresight, and creative adaptability.

Yet it is her enduring passion for classical music that led to the founding of Harmonaire Musique — a federally incorporated non-profit organization committed to empowering a new generation of Canadian artists. Drawing on her belief in the power of cultural expression and her lifelong engagement with the concert tradition, Ms. Cao created an institution that brings classical music into new cultural spaces and civic conversations.

As Executive Director, Ms. Cao provides strategic and artistic leadership across all aspects of the organization’s operations, from program development and funding strategy to governance, communications, and long-term visioning. Her work is grounded in principles of equity, sustainability, and global connectivity. Under her guidance, Harmonaire Musique is developing a wide-reaching ecosystem that supports artistic excellence, builds community partnerships, and promotes Canadian talent both nationally and internationally.

Fluent in English and Mandarin and deeply committed to intercultural dialogue, Ms. Cao exemplifies the values at the heart of Harmonaire Musique: innovation, inclusivity, and integrity. Her leadership ensures that the organization remains future-facing, artist-centered, and globally relevant.

Harmonaire Musique’s founding under Ms. Cao’s direction marks the emergence of a bold new voice in Canada’s artistic landscape — one that bridges technology and culture, vision and action, tradition and transformation.