Halle's comet

As the Hallé's vibrant new principal conductor, Kahchun Wong is looking to blaze a trail across Manchester's music scene, writes Clive Paget

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Kahchun Wong remembers vividly the moment it happened. ‘With an orchestra, you know it when it clicks, when there is a chemistry,’ he recalls. ‘I went to the first rehearsal without any expectation. It was a Tuesday morning, 10.30am, hardly the most encouraging time of day to play Shostakovich, and yet they were invested and listening to each other, breathing together. I didn't have to say a word to them.’

Sitting in a room at the BBC, the Singapore-born conductor is remarkably calm considering he has back-to-back interviews and a BBC Proms debut the next day. But Wong is a cool customer, composed and thoughtful, yet with a lively sense of humour that can be both self-deprecating and delightfully wicked.

In June 2023, the Hallé named him their next principal conductor and artistic advisor on an initial five-year contract. That statement, however, doesn't do justice to the impulsive nature of the appointment. As a Mahler specialist and fan of John Barbirolli, he knew them by reputation. He had also heard the rumour that Mark Elder was likely to move on after nearly 25 years in the hot seat. But Wong had no ulterior motive. He was simply there to enjoy working with what he describes as ‘the quintessential English orchestra’.

What happened next was unusual, to put it mildly. ‘In the first break my manager gave me a call and said, “What’s going on? What happened?”’ he explains. ‘I said, “Is it OK? Did I say something?” And he said, “No, I've just received a message from the orchestra – they hope I can come to Manchester for the concert.” He wasn't planning to come - he was living in Sweden - but he did. So, from that first hour there was something in the air.’