Many who most deeply value the Florida Philharmonic sometimes find it an orphan; at the moment it lacks a residential conductor who would offer t he audience a mutually enriching relationship. This should change reasonably soon. But some of the orchestra's recent guest conductors have been less than lustrous.

However, there was talent of a high order on the premises Saturday night at Gusman Center, with the debut of Michael Christie, a young American conductor; who-so impressed the organizers of the Colorado Festival two years ago, they hired him almost on the spot. I can understand why. I have only a cursory idea of the extent of his experience and repertory, but he seems a musician of tantalizing promise.

For one, he knows the difference between an excited conductor and one who makes music exciting. For another, he has fine feeling for the sweep of musical line, a keen ear for detail, seems a capable accompanist, and the Philharmonic played for him with enthusiasm, control and considerable precision. Dvorak's Carnival Overture crackled with fire and flair, and the composer's seldom-done Sixth Symphony was a home run with the bases loaded. It is as Bohemian as the Slavonic swirl of its furiant Scherzo, and was played with terrific ardor. Dvorak had written no symphony for five years when he began this one, which may explain why it has such a quality of release, as if the big scale delighted him.

Sandwiched between the Dvorak bookends came the Miami premiere of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's Millennium Fantasy" and Franck's Symphonic Variations, both with Jeffrey Biegel as fluent and eloquent piano soloist.

Zwilich begins with muted trumpets and faint cymbal rolls. Her bluesy orchestra, with musing woodwinds, is by turns plaintive and perky, the pianist a strong presence but in spurts of striding chords or gently cascading scales. The score alternates Gershwinesque sections with momentary but distinct echoes of Shostakovich, yet Zwilich manages to be herself - engrossing, audience-friendly.

Franck's Symphonic Variations was give noble breadth by Biegel and Christie, Biegel's breezy encore for fleet fingers depicted Hong Kong at rush hour and was by his late teacher, Abram Chasins — himself a student of the phenomenally dexterous Josef Hofmann.

The Florida Philharmonic repeats this program at 8 tonight and Wednesday at Broward Center. Tickets, $19-$88. 1-800-226-1812.