Yiddish Roots And An Ear For The Offbeat athed in a golden light, donning his trade- mark collarless shirt and looking like a studlier version of Barry Manilow, the visage of Michael Tilson Thomas -loomed over the city of San Francisco last year — on billboards, kiosks, and street flags — like some heralded healer. And, at times, it seems as though that's the role Tilson Thomas, the 51-year-old conductor of the San Francisco Symphony, seeks to fill: assuaging the masses with a musical balm and encouraging their psychic renewal via Debussy or Stravinsky. If all this sounds melodramatic, well, that's the style that mTr (as he's been dubbed) has cultivated. A musical protege often compared to his mentor and friend, the late composer/conductor Leonard Bern- stein, Tilson Thomas' ascent to the helm of one of the country's finest orchestras this past fall has done for classical music, in some respects, what Michael Jor- dan did for Gatorade: it's made it cool. Or perhaps just a little more intriguing to those who've never ven- tured a taste. The great-great-grandson of Russian cantors, the grandson of Yiddish Theater composer and actor Boris Thomashevsky and son of parents who continued as leaders of the Yiddish Theater, the American-born Tilson Thomas brings a theatrical intensity to his performance as well as his conversation. "I've grown up in the environment of people who were dreamers and were compelled to turn their dreams about the big world into some kind of musi- cal or theatrical expression," he explains on a pro- motional videotape. That heritage taught him the importance of em- bracing both "high art" and "low art" aspects in mu- sic, especially the 20th-century American musical repertoire, which Tilson Thomas champions: works by Carl Ruggles, Ives, Copland and Gershwin, for ex- ample. Tilson Thomas' Jewish roots turn up often in his performances. He began his season with the San B Francisco Symphony with Schoenberg's Survivor From Warsaw for Narrator, Men's Chorus and Orchestra. And, last spring, MTT continued a series of concerts on behalf of UNICEF with a performance of his own work, From the Diary of Anne Frank, with narration by actress De- bra Winger. But MTT's musical complexity extends well beyond his own background. For the past 37 years, he has brought to the podium an enormous talent for in- spiring musicians and audiences alike. In 1969 at the age of 24, Tilson Thomas won the coveted Kous- sevitsky Prize at Tanglewood and went on to become LI, assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Or- chestra and later principal guest conductor of the BSO. From 1971 to 1979, he acted as music direc- tor of the Buffalo Philharmonic, and in 1987 accept- .- ed the post of principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, a flagging artistic ship which he redeemed in a matter of seasons. In 1987, Tilson Thomas Michael Tilson Thomas' visit to the University Musical Society founded the New World is his first since 1988, when he conducted the Pittsburgh Symphony in that year's May Festival with Russian emigre pianist Vladimir Feltsman as the soloist. Symphony, a training ground for conservatory graduates, and he contin- ues as its artistic director. The list of his achieve- ments, appointments and guest conductorships goes on and on. Tonight's audience can expect, at the very least, a symphonic experience that pushes the bounds of what it's used to. "Classical music can get bogged down in trying to do things, quote, the right way, unquote," Tilson Thomas says. "That's not the way I work at all though. I work a lot more by instinct... (with) a more chance-taking approach." —Liz Stevens Et The San Francisco Symphony, with conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, performs Copland's Sym phonic Ode and Mahler's Symphony No. 5 at 8 p.m. tonight, March 15, in Hill Auditorium, 825 N. Uni- versity, Ann Arbor. Tickets run from $16 to $42. (313) 764-2538 or (800) 221-1229. This Week's Best Bets Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater The celebrated modern dance ;roupe presents a new ballet by f ri.- ' tat . 5 8 p In 5 Sun . 5 2 p m a mi 90 • krti.stic Director Judith Jamison, imong other works. Music Ha l l , 3etroit. Tickets: $22.50-$35. 313) 963-2366. Collective Soul The alternative rock band joins Rust for a show at the State The- atre in Detroit. Tickets: $17.50/advance. (810) 645-6666. Fri 5 7. • p.m. Fiddler on the Roof Shrine Circus Torch Song Trilogy The classic musical about Jew- ish life in the shtetl continues lies its three-week run at Oakland Uni- versity's Department of Music, Theatre and Dance, Rochester, Tickets: $10. (810) 370-3013. Featuring animal trainer Tarzan Serbini, elephants, horses, acro- bats and the whole shebang. At the State Fair Coliseum, begin- ning Friday. Tickets: $6-$14. (810) 353-9777. JET wraps up the extended run of Harvey Fiersteires play, the story of a gay Jewish man Fri . .-Sat. -Sat . 5 8 p a m s . 5 Sun . 5 2 p a m a , Fri., 7 Marc 31 • il 5 Sat.8 5 p ■in■ Sun., 2 & 7 p.m. searching for acceptance. Aaron DeRoy Theatre, J CC West Bloomeld. fi Tickets: $11-$22. (810) 788-290Q. ,--&,-,--,,,-..