Magad made his CSO debut at 11 after he won the orchestra's youth auditions. He joined the first violin section in 1958; he was appointed assistant concertmaster in 1966 by Fritz Reiner and concertmaster by Georg Solti in 1972. He first appeared as soloist that year with the CSO playing Mozart's Fifth Violin Concerto with Solti conducting. He since performed regularly as soloist with the CSO under Solti, Daniel Barenboim, Claudio Abbado, Rafael Kubelik and James Levine.

Magad founded the Illinois-based Northbrook Symphony, where he was music director and conductor for twenty years; he was also the concertmaster of the Aspen Festival Orchestra, where he performed for thirteen years as soloist, chamber musician and conductor.

Magad performs on a 1710 Stradivarius violin known as the "Vieuxtemps."