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In Conversation: Conductor Keith Lockhart

July 6 @ 1:00 pm

Keith Lockhart conducts the Boston Pops at Tanglewood. Press photo courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Photo by Marco Borggrev

The Tanglewood Learning Institute hosts a candid, informal discussion on the careers, music, and future aspirations of Tanglewood artists including Keith Lockhart, acclaimed conductor of the Boston Pops.

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Keith Lockhart

On May 10, 1995, Keith Lockhart, the 20th Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, opened his very first Boston Pops season, leading a concert featuring guests Sylvia McNair, Mandy Patinkin, and Doc Severinsen, and repertoire ranging from Wagner to “Charlie on the MTA.” He was only 35 years old—the same age as Arthur Fiedler was when he became Boston Pops Conductor in 1930—and was dubbed “The Kid” by longtime Pops Associate Conductor Harry Ellis Dickson.

The press coverage from the time of Keith’s appointment to the position in February 1995 was extensive, commenting on not only his musical talent but also his good looks and enviable head of hair, as well as the challenge of following in the illustrious footsteps of John Williams and Arthur Fiedler.

But this baby boomer, born in 1959, came to the position with musical chops, the BSO says, a remarkable work ethic, and a deep appreciation for both the institution of the Pops and its audience.

His varied conducting experience encompassed both the symphonic and pops repertoire, as well as performances in concert halls and on recordings; he had most recently served as Associate Conductor of both the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops, and made his Boston Pops debut as a guest conductor in 1993, just two years before he was appointed Conductor.

Over the next 25 years, with seemingly endless energy, Keith Lockhart, who holds the Julian and Eunice Cohen Boston Pops Conductor chair, would lead the Boston Pops in more than 2,000 concerts, in every imaginable setting—from hospitals to the Super Bowl—and collaborate with nearly 300 guest artists, drawn from the worlds of classical and popular music, rock, jazz, sports, politics, Broadway, and Hollywood.

Although acclaimed around the world, the Boston Pops—sometimes called “America’s Orchestra”—remains a treasured local fixture, as beloved as the region’s sports teams and historic landmarks. Its reputation has been acknowledged in popular culture, recently in a memorable episode of the animated television series “The Simpsons.”

The family decided to take a “hate-cation” to Boston—because of Homer’s resentment of the “Boston Americans” football team and its fans—and ultimately fell in love with the city that has “a Symphony and a Pops.” Through the years, Keith Lockhart has embraced Boston and in return, Boston has embraced him.

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Event Details

Details

Date:
July 6
Time:
1:00 pm
Event Categories:
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Event Location

Tanglewood
297 West St.
Lenox, MA
413-637-1666

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