Electric Conductor

Electric Conductor

Since he arrived in town, Francesco Lecce-Chong has made quite an impression. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra assistant conductor’s musical enthusiasm and intelligence are on display at the podium in select concerts, in his music blog and even while chatting with orchestra patrons in the Marcus Center lobby. This month, the 25-year-old conductor is particularly busy. On Jan. 16, he tackles Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Violin Concerto, with some guy named Itzhak Perlman as the soloist. And on Jan. 18 and 19, he conducts his first classical subscription concert – a blend of American music and compositions by Finland’s favorite son,…

Since he arrived in town, Francesco Lecce-Chong has made quite an impression. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra assistant conductor’s musical enthusiasm and intelligence are on display at the podium in select concerts, in his music blog and even while chatting with orchestra patrons in the Marcus Center lobby. This month, the 25-year-old conductor is particularly busy. On Jan. 16, he tackles Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Violin Concerto, with some guy named Itzhak Perlman as the soloist. And on Jan. 18 and 19, he conducts his first classical subscription concert – a blend of American music and compositions by Finland’s favorite son, Jean Sibelius.

→ Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (Jan. 16-19). Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. Uihlein Hall. 929 N. Water St., 414-273-7206, mso.org.

Paul Kosidowski is a freelance writer and critic who contributes regularly to Milwaukee Magazine, WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio and national arts magazines. He writes weekly reviews and previews for the Culture Club column. He was literary director of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater from 1999-2006. In 2007, he was a fellow with the NEA Theater and Musical Theater Criticism Institute at the University of Southern California. His writing has also appeared in American Theatre magazine, Backstage, The Boston Globe, Theatre Topics, and Isthmus (Madison, Wis.). He has taught theater history, arts criticism and magazine writing at Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.