THE most powerful people in the arts this year know the power the audience wields

Confound them with too many high concept productions and people vote with their feet. Alienate hardcore arts lovers with too many crowd-pleasing productions and they risk losing their credibility.

And so the most savvy power listers have found ways to turn ordinary Singaporeans on to the pleasures of reading a book, going to the theatre or visiting an art exhibition, while also bringing in productions and shows that will satisfy the more erudite.

Topping the list this year is Lee Chor Lin, 46, director of the National Museum. She was last on the list in 2006, when she came in third.

Under her direction, the museum has revamped itself as a hip lifestyle location, with a solid year of programming.

National Heritage Board (NHB) chief executive Michael Koh slips to second place this year. Life! celebrates his energetic efforts in jazzing the museums up as places people go to learn, enjoy, eat, shop and have fun.

Finding the balance between the popular and the edgy is the programming team from the Esplanade arts centre, in number 3 spot this year.

The young team proved that it could draw crowds to its well-curated performances that ranged from edgy work in its Studios Season to the fun and crowd pleasing fare in its Flipside programmes that complement the Singapore Arts Festival.

The visual arts also made a splash this year, with the Singapore Biennale curatorial team, comprising Fumio Nanjo, 58, Matthew Ngui, 46, and Joselina Cruz, 38, making it to sixth place.

The two-month art extravaganza drew more than 500,000 visitors to its three sites of the City Hall, South Beach Development and the Central Promontory Site. The were drawn by the good mix of artworks that they could relate to.

The one newcomer to the list is 11-year old publishing house Ethos Books. In Singapore, where bestseller lists are dominated by ghost story collections and self-help books, it has carved out a niche for itself by picking the right Singapore writers to publish.

In a vibrant arts year, these individuals and groups stand out by making connections both local and international.

What remains to be seen is whether they can hold on to their positions next year, when the global economic crisis continues its ripple effect.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times Life!.