In 1995, at the young age of 35, he became the 20th conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. He was only the third person to be given the official title of "Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra," following Arthur Fiedler in 1930 and John Williams in 1980. He has performed at Carnegie Hall and toured internationally in 39 countries, and his CDs have won numerous awards.
He has served as associate conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Music Director Music Director of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and the Utah Symphony Orchestra, and has been Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra since 2010. He has conducted orchestras such as the Berlin German Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony.
Born in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1959. She began studying piano at the age of seven and earned degrees from Furman College and Carnegie Mellon University, and holds multiple doctorates.