The Carpenter Center was alive with the sound of music - Richard Rodgers' music - Saturday night. Playing to a packed house, associate conductor Eckart Preu led the Richmond Symphony Pops and guest artists through an evening of the composer's works that are known and loved worldwide.

A rather tentative overture to "The King and I" picked up steam about midway, but it didn't quite have the snap that the orchestra usually gives to show tunes.

Then, baritone Ron Raines, soprano Jan Horvath and tenor Doug Labrecque came onstage to liven things up with a sprightly performance of "It's A Grand Night for Singing" from the movie "State Fair." These three attactive and talented actors-singers from "Bravo Broadway" showed what experience and hard work can bring to entertainment when combined with pleasant voices, excellent diction and strong acting ability. Horvath's lovely "It Might as Well Be Spring" led to many more favorites from Rodgers' collaboration with Oscar Hammerstein II, eliciting enthusiastic applause from the appreciative, attentive audience.

The bulk of the program consisted of material from Rodgers' partnership with Hammerstein, but there were gems from the composer's alliance with Lorenz Hart, with whom he produced many hit shows in the 1920s, '30s and early '40s. Raines' sensitive "Where or When" was followed by Horvath's "Johnny One Note," with Raines holding the "one note."

"With a Song in My Heart," one of Rodgers and Hart's finest songs, was sung by Labrecque with feeling and style, revealing what a truly beautiful instrument his voice is. And Horvath extracted every bit of emotion from sweet, sad "My Funny Valentine," one of the world's great love songs, and possibly the pair's masterpiece.

Back to Rodgers and Hammerstein, there were numbers from hit show after hit show. A clever "Shall We Dance?" from "The King and I" was sung and danced by Horvath and Raines. The audience sang along with Raines on "Edelweiss" from "The Sound of Music," and Raines and Labrecque clowned around with a lusty "There is Nothin' Like a Dame" from "South Pacific."

The Soliloquy, as told by Billy the anti-hero in "Carousel," was given a reading by Raines that was nothing short of brilliant, followed by a medley of songs from "Oklahoma," which ended the program with a zesty belting of the title song by the three singers.

Rodgers' music is essentially American, and it touched the heart of the Carpenter Center's audience Saturday night. Preu, the orchestra and guest artists can be thanked for that.