Before coming to the L.A. Philharmonic, Smith was associate artistic administrator of Florida's New World Symphony. He studied vocal performance at the New England Conservatory.

"We are very pleased to welcome Chad to the Philharmonic," said Zarin Mehta, the New York Philharmonic's president and executive director. "His varied experience makes him an important partner as we design and create our programming for future seasons at the Philharmonic."

The appointment is the latest in a round of musical chairs that began when Gideon Toeplitz retired as managing director of the Pittsburgh Symphony in 2003 and was replaced by Lawrence Tamburri, former president of the New Jersey Symphony. Tamburri was eventually replaced by Simon Woods, artistic administrator of the Philadelphia Orchestra; his position in Philadelphia was filled by Kathleen van Bergen, who had been vice president for artistic administration in St. Louis.