Kahchun Wong is a Singaporean conductor born June 24th, 1986. Known for his charismatic stage presence, Wong currently holds a number of conductorships including Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, England, and Chief Conductor of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.
Originally headed towards a career as a trumpeter, Wong’s interest in composition, and subsequently conducting, began when his playing career was halted by a nerve injury during National Service. After majoring in composition at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (part of Singapore’s National University), Wong received a scholarship to study Opera and Orchestral Conducting at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin. He remained in Germany for his first full time orchestral conducting post, commencing a four year tenure as Chief Conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra in September 2018.
In 2023, having served as Principal Guest Conductor for two years, Wong was appointed Chief Conductor of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra on a five year contract. At the same time he also began a two year tenure as Principal Guest Conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic, and was announced as the next Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Hallé Orchestra to commence at the start of the 2024 - 2025 season.
Acclaimed for his thoughtful exploration of European and Asian musical legacies, Wong’s career has been punctuated by a number of notable awards and accolades: he was the first Asian to win the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition, doing so in 2016, the youngest and first Singaporean to receive Germany’s Order of Merit for achievements in Singaporean-German cultural relations and the advancement of German music abroad, and the youngest conductor to lead the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.