By Robert Nesti

“It’s been 31 years,” says Keith Lockhart. He pauses, as if amazed by the fact he’s been conducting the Boston Pops for that long. “Can you believe it? And it all starts again this week.”

It is impressive. In an age when most conductors’ tenures with orchestras are in the single digits, Lockhart has shown he’s in for the long haul. He may have had a pair of formidable predecessors with Arthur Fiedler and John Williams; but for most audience members, Lockhart is the face of the orchestra, considered the best and most popular Pops orchestra in America. And he has brought the ensemble into the 21^st century through diversified programming, his strong ties to the community, the use of new technology, and building the Pops brand as America’s best-loved concert orchestra, which begins its 140^th season this Friday with soloist Ray Chen.

Over that time, he has conducted more than 2,250 concerts, led the Pops on 45 national tours and 5 international ones, released 13 albums, and has been instrumental in making the orchestra have a year-round role in Symphony Hall programming. His innovations include expanding the repertoire to include rock, pop, and jazz; adding full-length performances of Broadway classics; having the orchestra play the soundtrack music to films while they are shown; and actively participating in community events that make the Pops more part of the city’s fabric. He even partnered with Mayor Michelle Wu two years ago when she played Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the orchestra to celebrate the work’s 100^th anniversary.

One of the more recent programming innovations is Pride Night, a concert that features well-known LGBTQ+ performers that takes place as close to the Pride parade as possible (June 5). The concert marks Pride Night’s third year. Two years ago RuPaul’s Drag Race star Thorgy Thor wowed the house with her skills as a classical violinist; last year there were plenty of cowboys in Symphony Hall to honor Orville Peck, the famously masked queer country performer. This year’s guest is Glee alumnus, recording artist and Tony-winning musical star Alex Newell in a concert taking place on the eve of the city’s Pride event. Newell is the second non-binary performer to win a Tony, honored for their role in Shucked where they sang the show-stopping “Independently Owned,” which they will likely be singing at the Pops.

“Pride Night is becoming a tradition,” says Lockhart. “And it is great that it corresponds with the end of our season and we get to be part of the celebration. Honestly, I was a bit skeptical at first that the idea would succeed, but we’ve done it for two years now. Both concerts were successful, and last year’s with Orville Peck was amazingly so. I see a continuation of it with Alex Newell. I remember when they won the Tony. It was a brilliant performance. They are quite a talent. And they grew up in Lynn, so the concert is something of a homecoming for them. Plus we are going to be joined by the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus. I believe it is the second time they are performing with us. Back in 1999, they participated in a big choral work we commissioned called With Voices Raised because it dealt with gay equality. They recorded it with us as well. We had a great time together, so I am looking forward to working with them again.”

This season’s guest line-up features two more artists that could headline Pride Night. Six-time Grammy winner St. Vincent joins the orchestra as part of her new US tour that celebrates her latest album Live in London (June 4). “She wasn’t on our radar,” recalls Lockhart, “but someone sent me a recording where she sings with a 60-piece orchestra. It is amazing. Everyone knows her as a brilliant guitarist, but she is really into this concept. I understand that she has deconstructed and reorchestrated her song catalog for that album. It’s something I am really looking forward to.” Queer-identified, St. Vincent revealed at the 2025 Grammy Awards that she is married to a woman named Leah and that they have a daughter. She also recently began a series of intimate “Carlyle treatment” cabaret-style performances in New York.

The other queer-identified group that could host Pride Night is Pink Martini, the orchestral band that appeared with the orchestra last summer at Tanglewood as part of Keith Lockhart’s 30th anniversary celebration, but have not played Symphony Hall for 21 years. (May 23). Joining the band is their charismatic lead singer Storm Large, who brings glamour and punk-rock energy to the party, and guest vocalist and America’s Got Talent finalist Jimmie Herrod. Retro, political, queer and musically sophisticated, Pink Martini is one-of-a-kind; yet their big band/cabaret style fits nicely with the Pops. “They are just wonderful. It’s the concert my kids and my wife are most looking forward to. But what’s funny is the biggest problem we face with them is fitting them onstage. They are a self-contained band with a unique sound; but they are bringing tracks that allow us to play together, so that should be another great evening.”

In tune with the diversity in programming the Pops looks to achieve is the opening night concert with Ray Chen, subtitled “Epic Music from Anime, Film, and Games.” He is one of the world’s leading classical violinists who specializes in performing core 19th- and 20th-century violin concertos, but also a successful social media influencer who uses the platforms to promote his eclectic musical interests, which also include music written for anime films and video games. “It was new to me,” admits Lockhart. “The closest I ever got to video games was Ms. Pac-Man. And I really didn’t know about this culture. I know Ray from his concert performances. I remember his giving a brilliant performance of the Sibelius violin concerto, one of the most challenging in the repertory. Then I heard his latest album Player 1, which is comprised of music taken from video game music. So this concert brings these different facets together. There will be classical selections — a work by Camille Saint-Saëns, and numerous cuts from Player 1. And we will be premiering a concert suite based on the music from the Netflix series Arcane, created especially for him by the orchestra. And in planning the concert I’ve learned how extensive and musically sophisticated this music is, and that’s thanks to Ray.”

There are a number of male vocal headliners set for concerts. “We’ve had Leslie Odom, Jr. a couple of times,” says Lockhart. “Last year he headlined the Fourth of July concert at the Hatch Shell, and he first came to the Pops after winning his Tony Award for Hamilton. He’s a great singer and great performer.” (May 22). “I know that audiences know Jon Batiste through his R&B and jazz work, but in the past few years he has been performing more and more with symphony orchestras, and bringing classical music into his mix. I don’t think I have ever worked with a more brilliantly talented musician.” (May 13 and 14). And among the freshest additions to the line-up are two concerts with British musical wunderkind Jacob Collier. Pegged “the Mozart of Gen Z,” the boyish Collier is a musical “maximist” who mixes many musical genres into an infectious audience participatory event. “You know he creates entire pieces on the spot,” says Lockhart. “I am not sure just what’s going to happen, but I am along for the ride.” (May 27 and 28. Note: both concerts are sold out).

One event that has a personal connection for Lockhart is the annual John Williams concert. He took the baton from Williams in 1995 and has done his best to honor Williams’ legacy as a conductor and as the world’s best-known living composer. Lockhart has shown remarkable rapport with the music, as evidenced by last year’s concert in a program curated by Williams. “This year we are doing things a little differently,” Lockhart explains. “It is similar to one we did to honor his 85th birthday eight years ago. This year he turns 93. We have him talk about his career and intersperse the concert with comments and anecdotes, such as what it was like working with an unproven director on Jaws. What comes across is his humility. He views his enormous musical gifts to the world with such modesty I don’t think he understands how influential and great his music is.” (May 20 and 21).

Though the headliners aren’t to be announced until next week, Lockhart is looking forward to this year’s Boston Pops Fourth of July Spectacular for a number of reasons. “We learned that the event has been designated the centerpiece of Massachusetts’ multi-year ‘Mass 250’ (MA250) Celebration, which commemorates the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. So expect an even bigger fireworks display this year. And we recently signed a deal with CNN, so that network will be broadcasting the concert starting this year. This gives the event an even wider viewership than in the past.”

This summer the Pops head to Tanglewood for a number of high-profile concerts. Tony/Grammy/Emmy winner Cynthia Erivo returns to play with the orchestra. “Cynthia opened last year’s opening night in Symphony Hall,” Lockhart recalls. “And it was spectacular.” (August 21). Earlier in the month (August 11), Tony/Grammy/Golden Globe winner Hugh Jackman makes his debut with the orchestra in a highly anticipated concert. “Now we have been trying to get Hugh Jackman for years,” Lockhart confesses. “Then last summer, I see him standing backstage at Tanglewood.” He was there accompanying his girlfriend Sutton Foster, who was performing at the Pops with Kelli O’Hara. “I told him it was time for him to perform with the Pops, and if he did, he could bring his girlfriend along to hang out backstage.”

Along with Pride Night, another targeted concert that has met with great success is the Día de Muertos concert (October 29). Joining Lockhart and the orchestra is the Mexican indie rock band Enjambre. “I think it was one of the rare moments in Symphony Hall that a language other than English was spoken,” says Lockhart. “Like Pride Night, these Day of the Dead concerts are bringing new audiences to the Pops and the good thing is, they appear to be coming back for more.”

Anecdotally, he appears to be right. Throughout the Orville Peck Pride Night concert last year, I watched a 20-something woman at the next table — wearing a cowboy hat and a rhinestone-laden vest — enjoy herself immensely. She mouthed the words to the songs and was on her feet, yipping and hollering at the end of each song. Her companion, a bearded, bearish otter also in a cowboy hat and leather vest, was equally into it. I asked them what they thought of the concert. He said they had just seen him in Cabaret on Broadway, where he played the MC, and they were blown away by how sinister he was. “Nothing like this,” he said. She then added, “I have never been here before. I have been by this building hundreds of times, but never thought to go in. I think I thought it was stuffy. This wasn’t stuffy. And I know I’ll be back next year.” And her companion nodded in agreement.

For more on the Boston Pops 140th season, visit the Boston Pops website at this link.