On Friday, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra will feature guest conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong and 14-year-old violinist Mio Imai. The program, which starts at 7:30 pm in Miller Auditorium, includes an overture by Fanny Mendelssohn, Antonín Dvořák’s Violin Concerto in A minor, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4.
Lecce-Chong, visiting from California, currently serves as music director of the Santa Rosa Symphony. In a conversation with Cara Lieurance, he expressed enthusiasm about collaborating with the Kalamazoo Symphony, describing his role as a guest conductor as an opportunity to engage with a new orchestra in creating musical interpretations.
Imai, who won the gold medal at the 2024 Stulberg International String Competition in Kalamazoo and the 2024 Arthur Grumiaux Competition in Belgium, talks about her competition experiences and the concerto she’ll play with the KSO. Balancing her burgeoning musical career with her studies at a flexible online school is one of the strategies she uses to be prepared for the contests…