[CEO Journal] Building Forward on Legacy, Magnetism, and Connection
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2026 Lunar New Year Gala and the Practice of Cultural Localization
Written by Stella H. Kim, SPHR
February 26, 2026
As a 1.5 generation Korean American, the Lunar New Year has always carried layered meaning.
The holiday represents tradition and renewal while reflecting how culture travels, adapts, and takes root across generations and geographies. Growing up in an immigrant family, these traditions often existed between preservation and translation, shaped by memory, environment, and the quiet work of carrying forward what mattered even when the surrounding world did not fully recognize it. Rituals evolved and settings shifted, yet the intention remained steady, centering reflection, gratitude, and growth.
For those of us who grew up between cultures, seeing Lunar New Year reflected within major public institutions carries a distinct sense of presence. Traditions that once lived primarily in family or community gatherings begin to feel anchored within the broader cultural landscape. The shift feels less about scale and more about the integration of what earlier generations preserved in intimate ways into shared spaces.
This year, that realization felt especially present. I found myself thinking about how many of those early celebrations happened in smaller rooms, and how different it feels to see the same traditions carried forward at an institutional scale.
Understanding Cultural Localization in Practice
On Wednesday, February 25, I had the honor of attending the 2026 New York Philharmonic Lunar New Year Gala in New York City, graciously invited by Gabriel Lee, Managing Director, and Chenxin Xu, Financial Advisor, of Morgan Stanley’s The Pacific Alpha Group.
The evening moved through a cocktail reception, a concert, and a dinner that reflected a thoughtful approach to cultural participation within one of the world’s most established artistic institutions. Culture shaped the experience rather than appearing as an overlay.
From arrival, the intentionality behind the gathering was clear. Sponsors, advocates, artists, and institutional leaders were present with a shared understanding that cultural representation belongs within the spaces that shape public narrative and long-term cultural memory.
The cocktail reception created an environment where conversations moved naturally between business, philanthropy, community initiatives, and the arts. Introductions carried curiosity rather than formality, allowing relationships to develop in ways that felt genuine and unforced.
2026 Lunar New Year Gala Cocktail Reception; HRCap CEO Stella Kim with Morgan Stanley Managing Director Gabriel Lee
The concert offered a visible expression of cultural localization. Western orchestral repertoire appeared alongside compositions rooted in Asian heritage, contemporary voices, and reinterpretations of traditional music, creating continuity across traditions.
Guest artists reflected the breadth of Asian artistic expression. The orchestral interpretation of New Arirang carried particular resonance from a Korean American perspective, demonstrating how heritage can be reinterpreted while retaining emotional authenticity. Soprano Kathleen Kim gave a beautiful performance that balanced technical precision with cultural nuance. Hasibagen’s morin khuur performance introduced a tonal landscape rarely heard on major Western orchestral stages, expanding the audience’s listening experience and deepening cultural appreciation. Program adjustments due to winter travel disruptions, including baritone Andrzej Filończyk joining, underscored the collaborative nature of live performance and the care required to sustain cross-cultural programming in real time.
2026 Lunar New Year Gala Concert Program; Orchestra; Guest Artist Hasibagen with Conductor Long Yu Receiving Standing Ovation
Works by Copland, Rossini, and John Philip Sousa appeared alongside Asian repertoire as part of a shared musical conversation, situating cultural storytelling within the broader American and European orchestral canon. Across the program, the evening moved fluidly between traditions, illustrating how cultural localization is most effective when institutions allow multiple histories to coexist within a single artistic narrative.
Examining Collective Philanthropy as Cultural Stewardship
The dinner continued the evening’s sense of exchange, as conversations moved between personal journeys, professional paths, and reflections on community. The menu offered another expression of the evening’s theme, with familiar Asian dishes presented in modern form that balanced tradition with reinterpretation. Food, like music, carries memory while adapting to place, illustrating how cultural continuity evolves across environments.
2026 Lunar New Year Gala Dinner Presentation featuring the Evening's Asian-Inspired Menu Spread
Remarks from President and CEO Matías Tarnopolsky and longtime supporter Oscar Tang expressed appreciation for the partnerships that have allowed the Lunar New Year celebration to develop into an ongoing tradition. Recognition of conductor Long Yu reflected the role of sustained stewardship in shaping institutional presence.
Within the New York Philharmonic’s 184-year history, the Lunar New Year celebration illustrates how traditions become embedded through sustained partnership. From a workforce localization perspective, organizations that succeed internationally engage with cultural ecosystems rather than operate adjacent to them, allowing presence to translate into credibility over time.
Equally notable was the ecosystem of support surrounding the evening. Chinese business leaders, philanthropic sponsors, and community advocates have invested consistently in ensuring that the Lunar New Year celebration remains part of the Philharmonic’s identity. Their engagement in the arts has allowed leadership to take shape collectively, strengthening intergenerational connection and contributing to shared sustainable cultural infrastructure.
Connecting Localization and Leadership to Carry the Reflection Forward
This year’s Lunar New Year welcomed the Year of the Horse, with the Fire element emphasizing visibility, vitality, and forward momentum. In East Asian symbolism, the horse represents movement, courage, and collective progress, while fire suggests energy that draws others forward. These themes align naturally with legacy, magnetism, and connection, where legacy requires motion, magnetism invites participation, and connection sustains shared progress.
I left the evening grateful for the invitation and aware of the collective effort that made the celebration possible. Music and food created a shared language, and conversations unfolded with openness that encouraged reflection rather than agenda. The gala illustrated how culture advances through participation, how representation grows through consistency, and how community is strengthened through shared experience over time.
The experience also prompted reflection on our Korean-American community. Korean companies and cultural influence have expanded globally at remarkable speed, and with that expansion comes a rising need for collective participation within the cultural institutions that shape public narrative. Engaging in these spaces is increasingly part of how global presence is expressed, strengthening continuity and shaping the environments future generations will inherit.
Evenings like this reinforce that legacy is built through presence, magnetism grows through shared experience, and connection allows communities to move forward together.
Legacy is not only what we preserve. It is where and how we choose to show up, and how consistently we commit to that presence together for those who follow.
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About Our CEO & President
Stella H. Kim is Chief Executive Officer and President of HRCap, Inc., a Global HR Intelligence Partner specializing in Executive Intelligence, HR Consulting Intelligence, and AI Platform Intelligence to support growth-stage companies, multinational corporations, and global organizations navigating workforce strategy, cross-border hiring, and organizational localization.
Over the past decade, she has led the firm’s evolution from a traditional recruiting partner into an integrated HR intelligence platform, bringing together consulting, executive search, and AI-enabled talent solutions to help organizations navigate expansion across the United States and international markets. Her work focuses on how companies build sustainable teams, leadership pipelines, and culturally responsive operating models in complex global environments.
A 1.5 Generation Korean American women executive and Forbes HR Council member, Stella’s leadership reflects a commitment to legacy, magnetism, and connection as guiding principles for organizational growth. She frequently writes expert columns and speaks on workforce localization, leadership development, and the intersection of culture and business, exploring how institutions and communities shape one another over time.
Through her CEO Journal series, Stella shares reflections on leadership, global work, and cultural participation from the perspective of a first-generation business built across generations.