Our Experts

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Smithsonian Journeys Experts are scholars from around the world who have an in-depth understanding of their fields, whether it’s history and culture, the fine arts, geology, or the natural world. They are eager to share their passion, knowledge, and insights about the places you visit together—through fascinating lectures and during casual conversations over a meal or on tour. Our travelers continue to tell us that our experts are a major reason they come back to Smithsonian Journeys again and again. Meet some of our experts below, and visit our website to learn more about them.

Now in his twenty-seventh season, Keith Lockhart has served as conductor of the Boston Pops since 1995. Keith is also the artistic director of the Brevard Music Center summer institute and festival, continuing a relationship that began as a student there, nearly 50 years ago. Keith will join our Symphony on the St. Lawrence cruise—see page 24—and read our interview with him on the opposite page.

1 Franklin Knight is professor emeritus of history at Johns Hopkins University, where he focused on Latin America and Caribbean culture and politics. He has been a visiting lecturer at many universities throughout Spain, and has been featured on NPR, the BBC, and several television programs. Franklin will join our Cruising Southern Spain and Portugal voyage—see page 21— and Cruising the Caribbean’s Windward Islands—see page 30.

2 Steven Paton has spent over 30 years in Panama working with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). His work includes managing STRI’s long-term climate and physical oceanographic monitoring programs, documenting Panama’s biodiversity, and studying the impacts of severe drought on mangroves. Steven will join our Panama and Costa Rica by Sea cruise—see page 28.

3 Gillian Hovell is an ancient historian and an archaeologist who is actively involved in digs at major sites, including Orkney’s famous Ness of Brodgar Neolithic site. She lectures at the British Museum in London and at York University, and is a published author. Gillian will join our Scottish Isles and Norwegian Fjords Voyage—see page 10.

4 Michelle Thaller is an astrophysicist with over two decades of science communication experience. Her research involves the life cycles of stars, and she has worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Goddard Space Flight Center. She has appeared in many television science programs, has given TEDx talks, and has hosted a public radio podcast. Michelle will join Antarctica: The White Continent—see page 33.

An Interview with Keith Lockhart

Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Pops since 1995 and artistic director of the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina, will be joining the October 2023 departure of Symphony on the St. Lawrence: From Québec to the Canadian Maritimes.

Q: You’ve been the conductor of the Boston Pops for over 25 years, with over 2,000 performances during your tenure. Tell us about one of your favorite performances of your career. A: All told, I’ve probably conducted a total of around 4,000 performances over the last 40 years, so it’s a little hard to pick favorites! One that really stands out for me is my first Fourth of July concert with the Boston Pops, in 1995, where I learned what it felt like to walk on stage in front of a half million people.

Q: What is your relationship to the six musicians that will accompany you for the performances during this cruise? A: These six musicians are all excellent players but, perhaps more importantly, excellent people and great advocates for their art form. They are mostly artist faculty at Brevard Music Center, the summer institution that I have led since 2008. And, it was very important that they all be married to each other (with the right instruments represented), so that I could fit as much music into our stateroom allocation as possible! Q: Can you tell us about a piece of music that we can expect to hear on this cruise, and why you chose it? A: Our programs aren’t fully fleshed out, yet, but the plan is to present music that resonates with the itinerary, and with the wonderful narrative that the Smithsonian will bring to those destinations. I expect we will explore the Franco-American connection in music, and also the importance of the Canadian Maritimes as a world center for Celtic music.

Q: What travel destinations have been among your favorites, and what others are on your bucket list? A: I’ve been lucky to be in a profession that has allowed me to travel all over the world, so most of the places still on my bucket list are places that aren’t known for classical music. I’d love to visit the islands of the South Pacific. I’ve had the incredible experience of going to Africa on safari and sailing to pretty remote parts of the Caribbean. I’d love to do both of those things again, with even more respect and awe than I had the first time!

Q: What is your favorite Smithsonian museum, and why? A: The Air and Space Museum, because I can remember going there as a kid, seeing the Spirit of St. Louis and the early space capsules, and feeling an overwhelming sense of the bravery and restlessness of humans.