Wednesdays @ One is pleased to introduce you to Chad Goodman, the new music director of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. In his program, “Chad Goodman, from the Podium,” he will relate the story of his unexpected career in the highly competitive world of orchestral conducting, and share some thoughts on a variety of topics, including concert repertoire, trends in orchestras and the future of classical music.
The 2023/24 season marks Goodman’s inaugural season leading the Elgin Symphony Orchestra—only the fifth principal conductor in the orchestra’s prestigious seven-decade history. Critics have praised his conducting for its “precision, agility and fervor (that achieves a) pitch-perfect combination of abandon and subtlety.”
Goodman also serves as Artistic Director of IlluminArts, Miami’s art song and chamber music concert series. From 2019 to 2023, Goodman was the Conducting Fellow of the New World Symphony. From 2018 to 2023, Goodman served as an Assistant Conductor to the San Francisco Symphony, working alongside Michael Tilson Thomas, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Manfred Honeck, Daniel Harding, Pablo Heras-Casado, Simone Young, and James Gaffigan, among others.
He has recently made debuts with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, and Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de Puebla (OSEP).
Goodman also leads workshops that teach young musicians the business skills needed to successfully navigate the music world. Forbes praised the conductor’s bold strides both on and off stage and hailed him as “An entrepreneur bringing innovation to classical music.” He recently published the book "You Earned a Music Degree. Now What?”
Goodman holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music and a Master of Music degree from San Francisco State University. His mentors include Michael Tilson Thomas and Alasdair Neale.
Wednesdays @ One events are presented free of charge, thanks to the generous support of Colonial Café.