Chad Smith, Settling In and Looking Ahead at Boston Symphony Orchestra

In Sunday’s (5/5) Boston Globe, Malcolm Gay writes, “This time last year, Chad Smith arguably had the best job in classical music. Just past 50, he’d risen through the ranks to lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic … With its Frank Gehry-designed concert hall, rock star music director, and outside budget, the LA Phil is that rare orchestra that seems to have cracked the 21st-century code, performing world-class symphonic music while gaining diverse young audiences. So it came as a surprise last May when Smith left Los Angeles to lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a storied ensemble with a tradition of excellence—if not daring—that’s struggled in recent years to keep pace with the new city that’s grown up around it. … Smith, 52, often attended concerts at Symphony Hall while training as a vocalist at the New England Conservatory…. Seiji Ozawa once conducted him as a student at Tanglewood. It was an unforgettable experience for the orchestra’s new president and chief executive … ‘This orchestra set me on this journey, he said, describing the ensemble as at an inflection point. The critical decisions we’re going to make will set us up for the next 50 years.’ ”