Wong Kah Chun Explained

Wong Kah Chun
Birth Date:24 June 1986
Birth Place:Singapore
Occupation:Conductor Composer
Years Active:2015–present

Wong Kah Chun (; born 24 June 1986), also known as Kahchun Wong, is a Singaporean conductor.[1] [2]

Biography

Wong was born in 1986 to Victor Wong, a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) warrant officer, and Yeo Huay Lan, a childcare teacher. His family lived in a five-room HDB flat in the Jurong West neighborhood of Singapore.[3]

Wong attended River Valley High School during his secondary school years and played the trumpet in the school's Concert Band. After graduation he enrolled in Raffles Institution for his pre-university education, and joined the school's symphonic band and took up music as an A-Level subject. His interest in a professional career with an orchestra began with his participation in Singapore National Youth Orchestra rehearsals, his first experiences of a Western symphony orchestra with strings.[4]

Wong performed with the SAF military band during his national service and suffered a nerve injury to his lips from over-playing the trumpet. While he was recovering, he started composing and formed a group to perform his compositions. At this point he started considering becoming a professional conductor.[5] In 2010, Wong was part of a group that formed the Asian Contemporary Ensemble, which focuses on Singaporean and Asian composers. In 2011, he began studying opera and orchestral conducting at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, Germany, after receiving the Lee Kuan Yew scholarship. He earned his master's degree in 2014.[6] [7]

Wong debuted in March 2015 with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.[8] On 12 May 2016, Wong became the first Asian to win the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition for young conductors, held in Bamberg, Germany. In June 2016, he debuted in China, conducting the China Philharmonic Orchestra, Beijing, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra.[9] He was a finalist for the 2017 Singapore Youth Award of the National Youth Council.[10] In August 2018, he was one of ten Singaporeans mentioned in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech.[11]

Wong became chief conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, his first full-time orchestral conducting post, in September 2018.[12] [13] [14] Wong concluded his Nuremberg tenure in August 2022.[15]

Wong conducted the New York Philharmonic's annual Lunar New Year concert in February 2019.[16] In December 2019, the Federal President of Germany awarded him the Order of Merit for his achievements in Singaporean-German cultural relations and the advancement of German music culture abroad.[17] He co-founded Project Infinitude with Marina Mahler, the granddaughter of Gustav Mahler, in 2016 as part of a global music education initiative by the Mahler Foundation.[18]

In March 2021, Wong first guest-conducted the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO). In August 2021, the JPO appointed Wong as its principal guest conductor, effective September 2021, with an initial contract of 2 years.[19] In May 2022, the JPO announced the appointment of Wong as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2023-2024 season, with an initial contract of 5 years.[20]

Wong first guest-conducted the Dresden Philharmonic in 2021, and returned for a further guest-conducting appearance in 2022. In April 2023, the Dresden Philharmonic announced the appointment as Wong as its next principal guest conductor, as of the 2023-2024 season, with a contract of two seasons.[21]

Wong first guest-conducted The Hallé in February 2023.[22] In June 2023, The Hallé announced the appointment of Wong as its next principal conductor and artistic advisor, effective with the 2024-2025 season, with an initial contract of 5 seasons.[23]

Awards

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Artist Profile: Wong Kah Chun. Ang Mo Kio Secondary School. 25 July 2018. 1 February 2018.
  2. Web site: NUS Arts Festival 2015 – Wong Kah Chun. National University of Singapore. 25 July 2018. 2015.
  3. Web site: Derek Wong . Tee Zhuo . Seow Bei Yi . Singapore Pursuing their dreams, flying the flag high. The Straits Times. 25 July 2018. 7 June 2016.
  4. News: Tan . Sumiko . 2017-04-23 . Lunch With Sumiko: The world is conductor Wong Kah Chun's stage . 2024-03-18 . The Straits Times . en . 0585-3923.
  5. Web site: Meet the Maestro: Kah Chun Wong. rhinegold.co.uk. 25 August 2018. 12 July 2016.
  6. Web site: Profile: Kah Chun Wong. The A List Singapore. 24 August 2018. 30 August 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20180824172817/http://a-list.sg/profile-kah-chun-wong/. 24 August 2018.
  7. Web site: At 29, Wong Kah Chun has conducted orchestras on four continents. The Straits Times. 24 August 2018. 30 March 2015.
  8. Web site: Up Close with Kahchun Wong. thebandpost.com. 26 August 2018. 10 April 2015.
  9. Web site: Lee. Min Kok. Singapore conductor to debut in China. The Straits Times. 25 July 2018. 7 June 2016.
  10. Web site: Global stage, local heart. The Straits Times. 26 August 2018. 20 October 2017.
  11. Web site: Derek Wong . Tee Zhuo . Seow Bei Yi . National Day Rally 2018: 10 Singaporeans who got special mention in PM Lee Hsien Loong's speech. The Straits Times. 24 August 2018. 20 August 2018.
  12. Web site: Sumiko. Tan. Lunch With Sumiko: The world is conductor Wong Kah Chun's stage. The Straits Times. 25 July 2018. 23 April 2017.
  13. Web site: Anjali. Raguraman. Singaporean Wong Kah Chun wins Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition. The Straits Times. 25 July 2018. 13 May 2016.
  14. Web site: Olivia. Ho. Singaporean Wong Kah Chun named chief conductor of Nuremberg orchestra. The Straits Times. 25 July 2018. 21 January 2017.
  15. News: Chefdirigent Kahchun Wong verlässt Nürnberger Symphoniker . NMZ . 8 October 2021 . 8 October 2021.
  16. Web site: Akshita. Nanda. Wong Kah Chun to conduct New York Philharmonic's Lunar New Year concert. The Straits Times. 25 July 2018. 25 July 2018.
  17. Web site: Maestro Kahchun Wong awarded Order of Merit by Federal President of Germany . Federal Foreign Office . 10 December 2019 . 27 March 2022.
  18. Web site: Nabilah. Said. Making music fun and accessible for children. The Straits Times. 24 August 2018. 6 December 2016.
  19. Japan Philharmonic Orchestra Appoints Kahchun Wong as Principal Guest Conductor . Japan Philharmonic Orchestra . 25 August 2021 . 2022-06-03.
  20. Kahchun Wong Appointed Chief Conductor of Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Begins in 2023 . Japan Philharmonic Orchestra . 18 May 2022 . 2022-06-03.
  21. Kahchun Wong appointed Principal Guest Conductor of Dresdner Philharmonie . HarrisonParrott . 27 April 2023 . 2023-06-20.
  22. Web site: Review of Hallé concert with Ian Bostridge and conducted by Kahchun Wong . Manchester Classical Music (blog) . Robert Beale . 2023-02-17 . 2023-06-20.
  23. Kahchun Wong announced as new Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Hallé . Hallé Concerts Society . 20 June 2023 . 2023-06-20.