Banquet Address Keith Lockhart

Keith Lockhart
Maestro, The Boston Pops Orchestra
 

Keith Lockhart became the twentieth conductor of the Boston Pops in 1995, adding his artistic vision to the Pops tradition established by his predecessors, John Williams and Arthur Fiedler. During his 15-year tenure, he has conducted the Boston Pops in more than 1,200 concerts; introduced the innovative JazzFest and EdgeFest series, featuring the Pops performing with some of today's most prominent jazz and indie artists; and collaborated with the Tanglewood Music Center in concert performances from  the  Broadway music of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sondheim, and Bernstein. Under his leadership, the Boston Pops has commissioned several new works, including The Dream Lives On: A Portrait of the Kennedy Brothers, which premiered in the spring of 2010 in celebration of the Pops 125th season.

He has spearheaded collaborations with students from the Boston Conservatory and Berklee College of Music, and visits music programs in the Boston Public Schools whenever his schedule allows. Lockhart has been the driving force behind the success of PopSearch and the Boston Pops High School Sing-Off, performing competitions that have offered talented singers throughout Massachusetts and the United States an opportunity to perform with the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall and the July 4 concert on Boston's Charles River Esplanade.

Mr. Lockhart has led the Pops on more than 33 national and international tours, as well as 67 television performances. He has worked with a wide array of artists from virtually every corner of the entertainment world. From Hollywood and Broadway stars to popular singers, jazz legends, and classical favorites, he has brought many of the great musicians and entertainers of our day to the Pops stage.

Keith Lockhart is loved by audiences far and wide for his inimitable style, expressed not only through his consummate music-making, but also by his unique ability to speak directly to the audience about the music for which he feels so passionately committed.

Born in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., he began his musical studies with piano lessons at the age of seven. He holds degrees from Furman University in Greenville, S.C., and Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and has previously served as associate conductor of both the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops orchestras. Mr. Lockhart also holds the titles of artistic advisor and principal conductor of the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina and Music Director Emeritus of the Utah Symphony.