Situated on a lovely wooded 180-acre campus in western North Carolina, Brevard Music Center stands as one of this country's premier summer training programs and festivals. Under the artistic direction of acclaimed conductor Keith Lockhart, Principal Conductor of the Boston Pops and Chief Guest Conductor of the BBC Orchestra in London, 500 gifted students (ages 14 through post-college) come to the Music Center each summer to study with distinguished faculty and renowned guest artists. The summer festival also features the popular BMC Presents series, having brought non-classical artists as rich and diverse as Steep Canyon Rangers, Amy Grant, Béla Fleck, Bryan Sutton, Lyle Lovett, The Manhattan Transfer, Garrison Keillor, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Marvin Hamlisch, Peter, Paul and Mary, PDQ Bach, Judy Collins, and Michael Feinstein to the Brevard stage.