Bostonist was on the phone with our buddy Keith on Thursday, chatting about the upcoming Boston Pops spring season. The initial season announcement had just crossed our desk at Bostonist HQ, and we wanted to see what Keith thought of a spring and summer that will include jazz, Broadway, a season-long tribute to Leonard Bernstein, and appearances by Natalie Cole, Natalie Merchant, and Amanda Palmer.

By Keith, of course, we mean Keith Lockhart, who is preparing to helm the Pops through his 14th season as conductor. Lockhart set aside time on his Valentine's Day to chat with us about what's recently transpired (that Sunday this month of which we dare not speak), what approaches for the Pops, and what he might do if a chorus of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" this summer takes a slightly more team-centric spin.

Hi Keith! How are you? How have things been going?
Things are great, actually. It's nice to have a little bit of time to breathe in between things, but things are moving along.

It's February. The Pops are looking ahead to the spring, but what are things like over at Symphony Hall now? What's the scene over there?
What we're up to now? We used to say, "This is the on-season, this is the off-season," but it pretty much ends up being a 12-month planning process. We're not performing now, we wrapped up on New Year's Eve. But between the planning for the season, which is now out there, now it's about filling in the blanks and making up the programs - and there are 50 of those - and planning media projects. It's kind of non-stop.

We would imagine that it's a process of finishing one project and saying, "What are the next three?"
It's always funny - you never really finish doing that.

Read the complete Q&A after the jump! Photo of Keith Lockhart by Brett Colvin.

When last we spoke, we discussed the efforts the Pops is making in catering to its various audiences - keeping the current audience satisfied with a season while also trying to draw in and appeal to a younger crowd. Looking at the upcoming season, do you feel that such a balance has been struck?
This is one of the best-balanced seasons we've had. Every season, we look for those highlights, the things we can hang our hats on. This season has so many of them, it's hard to figure out what to talk about. We've really succeeded in diversifying the product of what we do in a two-month window.

There's great jazz on this season. We have cutting-edge singing-songwriters in Natalie Merchant and Amanda Palmer. There's classics with the Bernstein anniversary that goes on throughout the season. We have Natalie Cole to open the season, and Garrison Keillor, which will certainly be very popular, too.

What about you? Looking at the season, are there a couple of performances about which you personally are excited?
Both of the EdgeFest collaborations - I am very familiar with Natalie Merchant. And Amanda Palmer, her music I am getting to know and it's very interesting. It's very different from the Dresden Dolls material, and she's never performed with an orchestra before. Brian Stokes Mitchell - he is Broadway's leading man. There isn't even a second place candidate, and he's been with us a couple of times out at Tanglewood. We've finally managed to land him back here in Boston. The Bernstein program, which we will be presenting throughout the year, is very close to my heart.

One thing that caught our eye as we looked through the lineup was "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," which is scheduled for July.
Oh really? You're the first one to point that one out!

It's the need for baseball season, we think. And the fact that it's Pitchers and Catchers Day today.
That's right! And we need that, don't we? We need to be able to look forward to something and not think about the game a few weeks ago.

We don't speak of that game.
[Laughs] Yeah. I was at the game.

OUCH. That must have been one long flight home from Arizona, eh?
It was just depressing. The thing is...frankly, we're so spoiled. I've been at the other Super Bowl wins, too. And we've won three in the last seven years. But everyone was staggering out, unable to figure out what to do.

Speaking of what to do, let's say you're conducting the Pops at "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Now, one of the things that comes up a lot at concerts - doesn't matter what time of year, baseball season or not - is that folks decide it's perfectly logical to start chanting "Yankees Suck." What do you do if you're conducting at a baseball-themed performance and that chant breaks out behind you?
I hope that the people I've planted in the audience start fistfights to cause a distraction and break up the chant. [Laughs] We've been pretty lucky that way. We've done concerts before...For instance, this Christmas, our guest for the big company fundraising day was Ronan Tynan, who is a staple at Yankees games. Nobody yelled "Yankees Suck." People booed--

They booed, but didn't go so far as to heckle.
Right. Perhaps it was one of our tonier crowds.

Now about this "Casey at the Bat" situation. It says that there is to be a special guest appearing to read "Casey at the Bat."
Yes.

Well, we've been practicing. We've studied. We've perfected our dictation. We're pumped, amped, ready to go. So when are we going to get the call to be that special guest?
[Laughs] Well, you'd just have to put together the tape and submission materials and get it in so I can put it in the hopper...

Watch out. We will.
[Laughs] Well, I'm not saying no.

We're talking about the spring and the summer, but we all have to make it through the rest of winter first. And let's face it, the past couple of weeks have been pretty miserable. What would you recommend in terms of music for people hoping to battle the February doldrums?
When I'm in the winter, I tend to go with music that goes with the winter. I don't think playing music that reminds me of birds and flowers helps at all. I instead go for quiet hibernation. One of the composers with the music most perfect for sit by the fireplace is an English composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams, who writes beautiful, slightly sad, gorgeous music with the kind of textures you can just bury yourself in. I tend to cure them by going there.