After 30 years, Pops’ Keith Lockhart excited for new season

In 1995, Keith Lockhart went from being the associate conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra to getting his picture taken by People magazine on the roof of Symphony Hall.

Lockhart was just 35 when he took over as conductor of the Boston Pops from the legendary John Williams. The young maestro wanted to hit the ground running and shape the orchestra to fit his vision. Williams had a suggestion.

“The night before the press conference (announcing my appointment), I had dinner with John Williams,” Lockhart told the Herald. “It was the first time we’d met because he’d stayed away from the search process. He said something very wise that I had to bite my tongue to accomplish. He said, ‘Don’t try to change everything all at once. Don’t try to make it your organization at once. It’s been around longer than either of us and it will be around after we’re gone.’ ”

Heading into his 30th year on the podium, Lockhart has spent decades making the Pops his organization while keeping it an orchestra for the people. A look at the Pops’ spring season reveals programming light years beyond what the organization did in 1995. It also reveals selections the great Arthur Fiedler would have recognized, and loved.

The biggest (non-Lockhart) news for the Pops’ 139th season is Cynthia Erivo’s appearance on opening night, May 8. The “Wicked” lead and Grammy, Tony, and Emmy winner is just about the biggest star in the world right now.

“We’ve been trying to get her for years and we finally inked the deal before ‘Wicked’ was released,” Lockhart said. “She’s an incredible performer but there were so many people in our general audience who had no idea who Cynthia Erivo was two months ago… She’s turned into a mega star and I’m really excited about it.”

Lockhart says the booking is just good timing and has nothing to do with his 30th anniversary, which he isn’t overly enthusiastic about celebrating. Instead, he’s reserved his enthusiasm for the stars and repertoire coming with the season.

Some of the stuff that represents a modern Pops: Disney’s Frozen in Concert, a symphonic celebration of Jerry Garcia, the return of Pride Night, a multimedia program exploring the intersection of music, science, and science fiction, and a John Williams’ retrospective featuring music from all nine Star Wars films.

One nice thing about three decades on the job, Lockhart can actually enjoy the job. Sure, each spring, summer, and holiday season is a rush. But it’s a rush he can handle and shape.

“The first year or two, I was basically just managing the stuff that flew on to my plate,” he said with a laugh. “What I do remember was that the best part of it was conducting, because that was the part of the job I recognized.”

For tickets and details, visit bso.org/pops

Originally Published: January 27, 2025 at 12:01 PM EST