CONDUCTOR
Jesse Wong

Born in Fairfax, Virginia, Jesse Wong has made a name for himself around the world as an inspiring conductor, pianist and musician. Studying with the pianist Nancy O'Neill Breth, he performed as a concert pianist with many orchestras, including the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. After being accepted to Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he finished his degree in music while conducting and leading the premier student orchestra. In addition, he collaborated on an incredible number of productions, including “Candide” from Leonard Bernstein, “The Pirates of Penzance” from Gilbert and Sullivan and “The Rake's Progress” from Igor Stravinsky. In 2012 he moved to Europe to take intensive courses at the National Opera Studio in London and the Opera Studio in Krefeld-Mönchengladbach, Germany.

In 2014 Jesse moved to Düsseldorf, Germany to join the prestigious Deutsche Oper am Rhein, where he worked with the plus 50-member ensemble and three associated orchestras to stage over 200 performances each year. Here he made his debut conducting the difficult contemporary repertoire, beginning with the one act opera “What Next?” by the late American composer Elliott Carter and the fantasy opera “Where the Wild Things Are” by the late British composer Oliver Knussen. His gifts as a musical interpreter and strength in communication worked for both the modern and traditional repertoire, and he continued to conduct more classical operas, such as “Hänsel and Gretel” (Humperdinck), “Don Pasquale” (Donizetti), “Die Zauberflöte” (Mozart), and “Ariane” (Martinu). He coaches singers daily in operas in German, Italian, French and Russian, and specializes in working on the operas of Alban Berg (“Wozzeck” and “Lulu”) and Richard Wagner.

In 2020 Jesse will move to the Luzerner Theater where he takes the position of Head of Studies (Studienleiter) and Kapellmeister. He will conducted productions of “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” (Rossini), “Cosi fan tutte” (Mozart), and “The Cunning Little Vixen” (Janacek). He can also be contacted for work in arrangement, improvisation, and composition.