Ismael Sandoval is a Mexican-American conductor and a first-generation immigrant who moved to the states at the age of 3. He is currently the assistant conductor of the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera (CSO) and the music director of the CSO Youth Symphony.

Ismael frequently brings music to life in unorthodox performance venues in his efforts to give back to his community and promote the profound impact that music can have on people.

Ismael parents worked several jobs as he was growing up. At one point, Ismael's dad had four jobs and his mother had three. Needless to say, they were hard workers and instilled that work ethic in their children. 

Ismael's first language was Spanish but his schooling was in English, exposing him to both worlds/languages from a very early age. Ismael still has a lot of family back in Mexico and, as a child, would go back and spend every summer in Mexico with his family.