Can you tell me about Keith Lockhart, the conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra?
—Lyman M., Mississippi
Keith Lockhart, 43, follows in the very large footsteps of Arthur Fiedler and John Williams as the Boston Pops conductor. He took the job in 1995, becoming the 20th conductor of the Pops since its founding in 1885. Lockhart, born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., started taking piano lessons when he was 7 and set out on a musical career path. He holds degrees from Furman University in South Carolina and Carnegie-Mellon in Pittsburgh, where he served as director of orchestral activities for the school. Lockhart became a conducting fellow of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute in 1989. A year later, he served as assistant conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, going on to serve as associate conductor of both the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops orchestras. He also became music director of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. As if conducting the Pops doesn't keep him busy enough, Lockhart has completed his third year as music director of the Utah Symphony. He and his wife, Boston Symphony Orchestra violinist Lucia Lin, live in Boston.
