LENOX, MA - "A lot of work has culminated in one great two-hour moment that everybody else sees," said Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart.
The conductor has been busy getting his orchestra ready for one of those great two-hour moments. The Pops, who spend their summer season at Tanglewood in Lenox, perform on Tuesday night. This marks the 14th year Lockhart has led the Pops -- a span that catapulted him from little known band leader to world-renowned conductor.
"Sometimes [it is] a blur with some specifics that shine through the fog. I mean, it's been a really great run. I really love my work here, love what this orchestra is about. But, you know, after a while, when you do a lot of these things, you begin to think, what year was it?"
There's a certain orchestral sound that's a sure sign of summer each year at Tanglewood in Lenox. It's the music of the Boston Pops, led by conductor Keith Lockhart. Our Ryan Burgess sat down for an exclusive interview with the man who's been leading the Pops for 14 years now.
Watch the full interview with Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart.
All the years conducting the Boston Pops have brought all kinds of accolades, such as a recent article suggesting Lockhart himself is history in the making. While that may be music to some people's ears, Lockhart says he remains focused on just making music.
"I certainly think that my position as conductor of the Boston Pops makes me, de facto...an important part of the music scene today because, to me, the Boston Pops is a unique institution, uniquely poised, in a time when people think of classical music as kind of inhabiting its own island that's drifting away from the mainland. We are the connective tissue. We are the orchestra that people who don't know anything about orchestras and don't think they like classical music, still flock to, and we intend to keep it that way.
Lockhart also says making classical music popular has always been part of the Pops' agenda.
"That's been the goal of the Boston Pops for almost 125 years now and I'm just the last caretaker of the flame."
It's a flame that's been burning for over a decade now. And for Lockhart and the Boston Pops, that's a sound that's still striking a chord with music lovers everywhere.