Meet 2026-27 Conducting Fellow Chad Goodman

Named Conductor of the Year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras in 2025, Chad Goodman has served as Music Director of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra since 2023, receiving praise for taking the orchestra to new artistic heights and dramatically expanding its community impact. Guest conducting highlights include performances with the Minnesota Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Utah Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Pacific Symphony, and North Carolina Symphony. Goodman previously served as the Conducting Fellow of the New World Symphony and as an Assistant Conductor to the San Francisco Symphony where he worked alongside conductors including Michael Tilson Thomas, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Herbert Blomstedt and Elim Chan. Highlighting his work on and off stage, Forbes hailed him as “an entrepreneur bringing innovation to classical music.” In 2022 he published the book You Earned a Music Degree. Now What?, which teaches musicians the business skills needed to successfully navigate the music world. Goodman holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music and a Master of Music degree from San Francisco State University. 

You'll be able to see Goodman conduct the San Diego Symphony Orchestra at the March 6, 2027 Family Concert - Carnival of the Animals: Music on the Wild Side.

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How did you get your start in music? 

My start in music goes back to the trumpet. My father was a trumpet player and when I was in elementary school and we all had to pick an instrument, he suggested, "Hey, why don't you pick trumpet? I have some of them sitting around the house," and that was the catalyst for everything. I'm the first person in my family to go into music for a profession, but I had a family that was so supportive of me dedicating my life and career to this passion of mine in music. 

What was your transition from trumpet to conducting? What led you to this new path?

I think for many conductors, the story of how they got into it goes back to their childhood and videos of them conducting stuffed animals to recordings, but for me, it wasn't the case. I had a professor in grad school where I was still studying trumpet, pull me aside and say, "Hey, I really enjoy your musical ideas on trumpet and your rehearsals and speaking with you about music. I just have a feeling you would make a fine conductor. Can I just offer you lessons?" I thought, "Well, this will make me a better trumpet player, understanding how my part fits in the greater picture." As soon as I started doing it and got in front of an orchestra, I had this "Aha! moment" where I was like, I feel like more myself in this position than I did behind a trumpet, and so I knew it was something I had to pursue. And the rest is history. 

What is it you hope to gain in the San Diego Symphony’s Conducting Fellowship Program? 

This conducting fellowship is really special because it allows me to get a behind-the-scenes view of how an organization of this stature and scope works, how it functions. There's just so many moving parts. Of course, as a conductor, I'm focused so heavily on the artistic side, but to see how everything comes together from marketing and development and stage management and to be able to work and find a mentor in your music director here, Rafael Payare, is just so special. He's been doing this at such a high level for so long, so for me to get hands on and to be able to interact with him and observe him in rehearsals has just been a really, really special experience.

What has been one of your favorite moments in the fellowship so far and what are you still looking forward to doing?

My very first week as conducting fellow here was actually the season opening program with Strauss's  
Ein Heldenleben, which, in terms of pieces of the classical canon, is about as epic and large scale as you can get. So, to be here and assist Maestro Payare, and be surrounded by this sound—this true force of the San Diego Symphony—was just such a special way to kick things off. 

I'm very excited to get to stand in front of the orchestra and conduct them on a program this coming March.