Chad Goodman (Photo: Jiyang Chen)
Chad Goodman has been named the music director of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. He becomes the fifth person to hold the position and succeeds Andrew Grams, who served as music director from 2013 to 2021.
The ensemble’s season saw seven finalists for its music director position presiding over once concert each. Goodman’s appearance was the final of the applicants to appear, taking the podium earlier in May to conduct the orchestra and pianist Drew Petersen in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and selections by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Ludwig van Beethoven. According to the ensemble’s statement, the search committee’s decision to appoint Goodman was unanimous.
Goodman recently completed a four-year stint as the conducting fellow of the New World Symphony and has also served as an assistant conductor for the San Francisco Symphony. He is the founder and artistic director of the collaborative and innovative Elevate Ensemble. In addition to performing, Goodman offers workshops and guidance for artists to succeed in the music business.
Goodman will conduct each of the orchestra’s previously announced 2023-2024 flagship concerts, which begin in October.
