Keith Lockhart is the second longest-tenured conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra since its founding in 1885. He took over as conductor in 1995, following John Williams’s thirteen-year tenure from 1980 to 1993; Mr. Williams succeeded the legendary Arthur Fiedler, who was at the helm of the orchestra for nearly fifty years. Keith Lockhart, who occupies the Julian and Eunice Cohen Boston Pops Conductor chair, has conducted more than 2,100 Boston Pops concerts and annual Boston Pops appearances at Tanglewood, as well as 45 national tours and 5 international tours to Japan and Korea. The annual Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular conducted by Mr. Lockhart draws a live audience of over half a million to the Charles River Esplanade and millions more who view it on television or live webcast. He has led eight albums on RCA Victor/BMG Classics; recent releases on Boston Pops Recordings include A Boston Pops Christmas–Live from Symphony Hall, The Dream Lives On: A Portrait of the Kennedy Brothers, and Lights, Camera… Music! Six Decades of John Williams. The list of nearly 300 guest artists with whom Keith Lockhart has collaborated represents performers from virtually every corner of the entertainment world. Having recently completed an eight- year tenure as principal conductor, he is now chief guest conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in London; he is also artistic director of the Brevard Music Center summer institute and festival in North Carolina. Prior to his BBC appointment, he spent eleven years as music director of the Utah Symphony. He has appeared as a guest conductor with virtually every major symphonic ensemble in North America and many in Asia and Europe. Before coming to Boston, he was the associate conductor of both the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops orchestras, as well as music director of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. For more on Keith Lockhart, visit www.bso.org/keith-lockhart or bostonpops.org. 

LeAnn Rimes is an international multi-platinum selling acclaimed singer and ASCAP award-winning songwriter. She has sold more than 48 million units globally, won 2 Grammy® Awards; 12 Billboard Music Awards; 2 World Music Awards; 3 Academy of Country Music Awards; 2 Country Music Association Awards and one Dove Award. At 14, Rimes won "Best New Artist" making her the youngest solo artist to take home a Grammy® Award, and at 15, she became the first country artist to win "Artist of the Year" at the Billboard Music Awards.

In 2022, LeAnn was presented with the prestigious ASCAP Golden Note Award, which is an award presented to genre-spanning songwriters, composers and artists who have achieved extraordinary career milestones.

Out of the 63 singles she has released throughout her expansive career, LeAnn's ballad "How Do I Live" holds the record as Billboard's Hot 100 all-time #1 hit by a female artist and currently ranks #6 on Billboard's "Greatest of All Time: Hot 100 Songs" list. 15 of her multi-genre singles are top-10 hits, including "Can't Fight the Moonlight," which went #1 in 11 countries.

The last couple of years have been quite a resurgence for LeAnn. In 2022, the world-renowned singer had a big year including the release of her 19th album god's work (EverLe Records via Thirty Tigers/ The Orchard). The album, which features a roster of accomplished artists including Ziggy Marley, Mickey Guyton, Aloe Blacc, Ben Harper, and more, was listed as #9 on Variety's "The Best Albums of 2022." They said: "You won't find a richer collection of melodic writing on any album released this year, with the twists and turns that maybe only someone capable of all that virtuosic vocalizing could think to take a set of songs into."

She performed songs from the project on national shows including LIVE With Kelly and Ryan and TODAY. In April of the same year, LeAnn headlined an episode of the iconic music series CMT Crossroads entitled LeAnn Rimes & Friends alongside Mickey Guyton, Carly Pearce, Ashley McBryde, and Brandy Clark, who helped commemorate Rimes' career and recognize the path she blazed forward for women in all genres.

LeAnn also served as the inspiration judge on the discovery+ competition series, Meet Your Makers Showdown, alongside Chrissy Metz and Mark Montano in November 2021 and won season four of FOX's The Masked Singer, with Entertainment Weekly stating that she delivered .".. the most beautiful performance in the history of The Masked Singer."

In honor of the 2019 Record Store Day, the Grammy-winning superstar unveiled her first-ever LIVE recording as an exclusive vinyl release titled Rimes: Live at Gruene Hall where Rimes celebrated music of all genres. And during the 2018 holiday season she starred and served as an Executive Producer in Hallmark's It's Christmas, Eve, which earned the highest TV original movie debut to-date for the channel premiering to over 4.3 million viewers. Earlier that year, Rimes revealed a new EP for her fans titled Re-Imagined that featured five new versions of some of her record-breaking hits, including an epic duet with the music icon Stevie Nicks. In 2017, LeAnn released Remnants, which debuted at # 4 on Billboard's Independent Album Chart, peaked at #3 on iTunes ® overall charts in its first week, garnered two #1 Billboard Dance hits with "Long Live Love" and "LovE is LovE is LovE," and one Top 5 hit with "Love Line." Additionally, for her Remnants UK Tour, she joined Elton John at the historic Hyde Park in London.

Passionate about using her voice to help heal the world, LeAnn was honored with the Ally of Equality Award by the Human Rights Campaign for her over 20 years of support of equal rights, the 2019 HOPE Award for Depression Advocacy, and 2009 ACM Humanitarian Award, among other recognitions. She continues to channel her voice in new ways, releasing CHANT: The Human & The Holy (EverLe Records / Thirty Tigers) in 2020, which spent 5 weeks at #1 on iTunes New Age Chart, as well as her iHeartRadio mental health and wholeness podcast, Wholly Human, that brings her lifestyle blog, Soul of EverLe, to life. Wholly Human, which currently has three seasons, previously reached #2 on iTunes Health & Fitness Chart, placed in the Top 35 overall for podcasts worldwide and was named as one of the 15 best mental health podcasts that educate and empower listeners by Good Housekeeping.

Leslie Odom, Jr. is a Tony and Grammy Award-winning, three-time Emmy and two-time Academy Award-nominated songwriter, actor, and a New York Times bestselling author. Well known for his breakout role as ‘Aaron Burr’ in the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical Hamilton, Odom is set to make a highly anticipated return to his award-winning role on September 9 through November 23. Last season, he made his long-awaited return to Broadway as a producer, alongside his beloved Nicolette Robinson and the gracious Jeffrey Richards, with the classic American comedy Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch written by the legendary Ossie Davis. The revival opened to widespread critical acclaim. Odom was Tony-nominated for his performance, and the production received six nominations and one win. Purlie Victorious was recorded and aired as part of PBS’ Great Performances. Odom has continued to captivate audiences across film and television including his star turn as legendary soul singer Sam Cooke in the Amazon film adaptation of One Night in Miami, directed by Regina King. His lauded portrayal of the soul icon and musical performance of original song “Speak Now” earned him multiple awards and nominations. Additional film and television credits include Rian Johnson’s record-breaking 2022 Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, for Netflix, The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel to David Chase’s award-winning HBO series The Sopranos, Apple TV+’s Central Park (2020 Emmy nomination), Hamilton on Disney+ (2021 Emmy nomination), host of “The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back!” on CBS (2022 Emmy nomination), Abbott Elementary, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Harriet, and many more. In March 2018, Odom added the title of author to his resume with the release of his book – Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher and Never Stop Learning, which was recently released in paperback in March 2025. Co-written with Nicolette Robinson, Odom’s first children’s book, I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know, was published by Feiwel & Friends in March 2023. The book debuted on the New York Times bestseller list at #7 in its first week. Odom has released five full-length albums. His fifth studio album, When A Crooner Dies, was released in November 2023. 

Bell Biv DeVoe, known for their pioneering sound that blends "hip-hop smoothed out on the R&B tip with a pop-feel-appeal to it," emerged as a breakout act from the iconic New Edition following the group's tour in support of their 1988 album, "Heart Break." The trio—Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe, all original members of New Edition—formed on the advice of producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to explore a more street-oriented approach to contemporary R&B. 

Michael Bivins also cultivated the East Coast Family during this time, achieving mainstream success with debut albums from Another Bad Creation and Boyz II Men. In 1992, BBD collaborated with Ralph Tresvant on the number one R&B/hip-hop single "The Best Things in Life Are Free" with Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson for the "Mo' Money" soundtrack. The group released their second album, "Hootie Mack," in 1993. After a hiatus and the reunion of New Edition, BBD returned in 2001 with the album "BBD." 

Celebrating New Edition's 30th anniversary in 2011, they received a Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award the following year. In 2017, coinciding with the BET mini-series "The New Edition Story," BBD released "Three Stripes." 

Despite producing only four albums of original material over 31 years, Bell Biv DeVoe has maintained a strong presence, headlining arenas, fairs, festivals, and joining New Edition reunion tours. Recently, they won an Emmy Award for their documentary "BBD @ Fenway" in 2023, performed with The Boston Pops at the NHL’s Winter Classic, released the first single. “Act Like You Know” from the soundtrack of Mike Bivin’s #1 streamed docufilm "The Hustle of @617Mikebiv,". Bell Biv DeVoe has performed in the iconic Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which attracted 28 million viewers—a 6% increase from the previous year—and in Macy's iconic July 4th Fireworks Spectacular in NYC, which achieved the best multi-platform showing in the past three years.

Boston Children’s Chorus (BCC) was founded in 2003 by Hubie Jones, a civic leader who has worked for six decades to address the social challenges facing Boston’s underserved children and communities. Named Boston’s “Ambassadors of Harmony” by the Boston Globe, BCC harnesses the power of music to connect Boston’s diverse communities, cultivate empathy, and inspire social inquiry. BCC's choir programs include 11 choirs with singers from 110 different ZIP codes in and around Boston. In addition to its after-school programming, BCC partners with schools to develop in-school choral programs in Mattapan, Roxbury, South Boston, East Boston, Allston, and Chelsea.

BCC presents more than 50 performances per season at a wide range of public and private events. The chorus has performed at venues including Symphony Hall and TD Garden in Boston, Royal Albert Hall in London, the Sydney Opera House, and the White House. BCC has appeared in TED Talks, made regular appearances on local TV and radio networks, and performed with high-profile artists such as Idina Menzel, Javier Muñoz, Hugh Jackman, and Leslie Odom Jr.

In 2020, it was announced that the album "Fantastic Mr. Fox" won a Grammy Award for best opera recording. This recording featured the Boston Modern Orchestra Project in collaboration with Odyssey Opera and the Boston Children’s Chorus, under the baton of Gil Rose. Additionally, BCC was presented with the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award in 2013, distinguishing the chorus as one of the top arts and humanities-based programs in the nation. BCC accepted the award from First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House.

Founded in 1957, the Soldiers' Chorus is the vocal component of the United States Army Field Band of Washington, D.C. This 29-member mixed chorus travels throughout the nation and abroad, performing both independently and jointly with the Army Field Band’s Concert Band. The Soldiers’ Chorus has performed in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, India, and throughout Europe. 

The musical backgrounds of Soldiers' Chorus personnel range from opera, musical theater, gospel, and rock music to music education and vocal coaching, providing the ensemble with unique programming flexibility. In addition to choral repertoire, Soldiers’ Chorus performances often include Broadway, opera, popular music, jazz, Americana, and more. This versatility contributes to the Soldiers' Chorus' nationwide reputation for musical excellence and inspiring patriotism. 

The Soldiers' Chorus has collaborated with the Cincinnati Pops, and the Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Nashville, and National symphony orchestras. The ensemble is a mainstay of PBS’s annual National Memorial Day Concert and has performed for the state funerals of presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford. 

Paula Plum is a stage, TV, and film actress whose on-screen work includes "Next Stop Wonderland," "Mermaids," and "Irrational Man." This year, she appeared in Commonwealth Shakespeare’s "A Winter’s Tale" and in "Romeo and Juliet" with Actors’ Shakespeare Project. Her television credits include voicing characters on "Squigglevision" on ABC, "The Dick and Paula Celebrity Special" on FX, "Hey Money" on Oxygen, and "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist" on Comedy Central. Her original plays include "Memorial," "Wigged OUT!," and "What Lips My Lips Have Kissed." Her solo show "Plum Pudding" garnered her critical praise and the IRNE Award for Best Solo Performance.

Plum was honored by the Boston Theatre Critics Association with the Elliot Norton Award for Sustained Excellence, and Outstanding Actress for "Miss Witherspoon," "Lost in Yonkers," "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," and "The Children." She trained at the Ecole Phillipe Gaulier in Paris and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. She is a cum laude graduate of Boston University’s School for the Arts, where she was honored as a distinguished alumna in 2003. Plum is also an acting coach. She is married to actor Richard Snee.