Marvin Hamlisch has garnered plenty of recognition during a long career as composer and arranger for stage, screen and TV. His prize-winning credits include The Sting, A Chorus Line and several collaborations with Barbra Streisand.

And he's still at it - writing the score for The Informant, a Matt Damon film due this fall.

But much of his time these days is spent as pops conductor for five American orchestras. Make that six, since his recent appointment with the Colorado Symphony.

Though his tenure here officially begins in the fall, Hamlisch will lead tonight's CSO Gershwin concert in Boettcher Hall. And he's not just piling up frequent-flier miles with his four pops shows per season with the San Diego, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C.-based National, Seattle and Milwaukee Symphonies - this is work he remains passionate about.

"It's about keeping this music alive," he said. By "this music," he means works born in the U.S.A.

"Most classical concerts consist of European music. But the bulk of pops programming is American music. And these are things that simply are not played on radio or TV anymore . . . It's scary that a generation today doesn't know who Cole Porter is."

Sure, the main job of symphony orchestras and their conductors is to play Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and the others. Hamlisch, though, believes that the world of Broadway, film and TV also deserve attention.

"Pops obviously has its place," he said.

It's no secret that it helps pay the bills by drawing new audiences uncomfortable with the classics. For example, last weekend's CSO concert with jazz trumpeter Chris Botti drew a turn-away Boettcher Hall crowd.

Lighter orchestral fare is a major source of revenue for nearly every orchestra, Hamlisch acknowledged, adding that he will soon conduct pops at the New York Philharmonic's annual pension-fund concert.

"It's just how it is," he said.

Such pieces may be fluffier than a Mahler symphony or a Brahms concerto, yet pops programming requires a lot of serious thought and planning, the conductor stressed. First, the scores have to be available and in good condition. Then, there's the matter of selecting a headliner.

"I always try to open and close a season with some sort of star power," Hamlisch said. "But you can't do that for every concert. You always have to go back to the (orchestra's) budget - what they can afford.

"You also have to consider local tastes. You'll find that some audiences like the light classics, some don't. Some like country and western, some hate it.

"And there's the generation thing," he continued. "You want to hold onto the 40-to-60-year-olds, but you also want to entice the 20-to-30-year-olds."

When it comes to the subject of tonight's Boettcher program, there's no cause for worry about audience appeal. Everyone loves Gershwin. The agenda includes such favorites as Rhapsody in Blue (played by pianist Kevin Cole, a respected Gershwin champion), a host of songs from Broadway shows (sung by Amanda Earl) and An American in Paris.

With so much on his plate these days, the CSO's new pops conductor is not ready to gaze ahead to his first full season with the orchestra. "I haven't discussed upcoming programs with (administrators). I'll want to talk with them to find out local tastes.

"You can't always predict what will please a particular audience. I have plenty of theme programs from my work with other orchestras, so we should be able to find something."

One of his chief concerns will be to choose programs that attract younger listeners. Hamlisch always tries to make room in his programming for the little ones, particularly around Christmastime. "The first halves of my holiday shows are geared toward younger kids," he said.

Those moments when he discovers that he's made a connection with the newest generation mean a lot to him. "After one concert, a darling 8-year-old came up to me and told me that I'd inspired her to take up the flute," he said.

"When I do Broadway programs with orchestras, we'll always include some contemporary stuff, such as Wicked and Mamma Mia!," Hamlisch noted. "We don't want to be a relic."

Shulgoldm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5296

Kudos for Marvin

Among the awards won by composer/ arranger Marvin Hamlisch:

* Oscars: two for The Way We Were (song and score); one for adapting Joplin rags for The Sting

* Golden Globes: three

* Grammys: four

* Emmys: four

* Tony: one (Chorus Line)

* Pulitzer: one (Chorus Line; shared)

A Gershwin Celebration

* When and where: 7:30 p.m. today, Boettcher Hall, 14th and Curtis streets

* Cost: $15 to $73

* Information: 303-623-7876

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