Here’s a good thing you need to know: Honorary Professor Dr Tan Sooi Beng is being honoured with the 20th Boh Cameronian Lifetime Achievement Award — and it’s easy to see why. She's not only an internationally recognised scholar of music, but also an activist, educator, and community collaborator who’s spent decades making the arts more inclusive, more Malaysian, and more meaningful. In conjunction with World Art Day, we speak to her about her life's work, what inspires her, and why the arts matter more than ever.

Image Credit: Hon. Professor Dr Tan Sooi Beng