Marvin Hamlisch’s Musical Journey From Child Prodigy To EGOT Winning Composer

There are very few musicians in the world who can boast they’ve won all four of the major entertainment awards — 12 to be exact — but Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch is part of this exclusive ‘EGOT‘ elite. His awards and accolades don’t stop there, either, also winning a Pulitzer Prize, two Golden Globes and the list could go on.

So how did Marvin become one of the most cherished and gifted composer/songwriters of this generation? Even early on, Marvin was a child prodigy with a musical gift that soared beyond his years, which he honed through music programs at Julliard to develop as one of the most creative musical directors of all time.

Starting tomorrow, fans can see Marvin join forces with the Pasadena Symphony and Pops for three special concert series featuring music from his own catalog and much more. Learn more about Marvin’s musical journey from a child prodigy to monumental composer, and when to catch him live with the Pasadena Pops!

Even if you aren’t familiar with his name, you’re most certainly familiar with Marvin Hamlisch’s work. He’s the talent songwriter/composer who’s composed movie scores like The Way We Were with Barbara Streisand and an adaptation of the music for The Sting with Robert Redford & Paul Newman, both of which landed him an Oscar. He’s also composed the score for the Broadway musical A Chorus Line and They’re Playing Our Song as well as The Goodbye Girl.

Marvin came into The WAVE studios with Pat & Kim to share more of his remarkable story and his exciting new concert series as the conductor for the Pasadena Symphony and Pops this summer.

From a musically gifted family, Marvin inherited his genes from his musician father and was bitten by the performing bug at an early age. He picked up playing the piano by listening in on his older sister’s lessons and astoundingly playing what he heard by ear after she finished.

He tried out for the school of Julliard at 6 1/2 years old, where he already had a distinctive musical taste and style that separated him from the rest of his gifted peers. Not particularly interested in the classical stylings of Beethoven or Mozart, Marvin’s interest was already geared more toward popular music of the time.

“My thing was, I could listen to the radio, fall in love with a song and basically play it in any key,” said Marvin. Marching to the beat of his own drum, Marvin performed Eddie Fisher’s 1952 hit “I’m Yours” for his Julliard audition and he blew them away.

During his time in Julliard, Marvin learned to artfully develop his craft by taking courses in songwriting and performing, and later received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Queens College. After school, he took his talent to the entertainment world, where he went on to score the music for some of the most acclaimed films in history.

Now Marvin is performing in a special concert series as the conductor for the Pasadena Symphony and Pops starting tomorrow, July 23rd with Marvin Does Marvin. The concert will feature some of his classic hits from The Way We Were, Ice Castles, The Entertainer, They’re Playing Our Song, A Chorus Line, The Sting and many more.

On August 6th, Marvin Does Broadway,which will feature music from Les Misérables, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, The Producers and more, and the series will wrap up on August 27th with Marvin Does Movies including music from Salute to Gene Kelly, Gigi, An American in Paris, Schindler’s List, The Informant and more!

For more information on Marvin Hamlisch’s concerts with the Pasadena Pops, click here. Listen to our complete interview with Marvin and hear more about his amazing journey and career!