This
page updated 10/20/06 |
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Ragtime's
Mechanical Partner
By Stephen Kent Goodman (click
here for presenter's bio)
Stephen
Kent Goodman, ragtime composer and restorer of automatic instruments,
illustrates how coin-operated player pianos, orchestrions, military band
organs, and other mechanical instruments influenced the spread of
ragtime, and inversely, how hearing ragtime on these machines promoted
their use and popularity. This seminar presents some really rare stuff ?
rags found only on nickelodeon or orchestrion rolls. Much appreciation
to fellow AMICA and MBSI collectors for sharing such rarities especially
for this presentation |
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The
Life and Music of Harry Austin Tierney
By Eric Marchese (click
here for presenter's bio)
Eric
Marchese combines his own broad knowledge of ragtime and his career
covering theater for a daily newspaper to give us a detailed look at the
life and music of composer Harry A. Tierney. Tierney’s earliest
published pieces were rags, but the New Jersey-born composer really made
a name for himself as a songwriter and composer for the stage. (He’s
known the world over for his beautiful waltz song “Alice Blue Gown”
from the Broadway musical “Irene.”) |
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The
Naked Dance: The Music of Storyville
By Terry Waldo (click
here for presenter's bio)
Terry Waldo, ragtime headliner, author/historian, and producer,
describes the music from Storyville, New Orleans’ famous red light
district that existed around the turn of the century. Presenting details
from his PBS television documentary on Storyville and his one-man show
“The Naked Dance,” Terry also covers some of the famous composers
and musicians who began their careers in Storyville, including Jelly
Roll Morton, Tony Jackson, and Clarence Williams. |
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Roy
Bargy: The Genius of Novelty
Ragtime
by Robert Bradford (click
here for presenter's bio)
Pianist and movie producer Robert Bradford presents original recordings,
stories and never-before seen photos from Roy Bargy's personal scrapbook
in detailing the career of this outstanding composer and pianist of
novelty piano music. Bargy started off playing for silent movies, then
for piano rolls and recordings, spending the years 1928-1940 with the
Paul Whiteman Orchestra. |
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The
Ragtime Machine 25th Anniversary
By David Reffkin (click
here for presenter's bio)
The Ragtime Machine (“Music from the concert halls and barrooms of
America”), produced and hosted by David Reffkin, began July 4, 1981.
The program airs every week without reruns, co-hosts, substitute hosts,
or missed shows – probably a broadcast record. In this seminar David
includes highlights and unusual bits of music, interviews, and
production pieces. |
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Music
Is an Art - And That Includes Ragtime
By Mimi Blais (click
her fore presenter's bio)
Montreal’s Mimi Blais, one of the world's most popular and experienced
ragtime pianists, describes how ragtime has
enhanced her life as a performer. Noting that music is an art and
art comes from the expression of the soul, Mimi discusses the importance
of offering feelings, colors, vision, or even the story of a ragtime
composition -- not just playing the correct notes. She provides hints on
how to recover from mistakes and memory lapses (brain you-know-what's),
deal with stage management issues (including crummy pianos), and
acknowledge, involve, and relate to audiences (even ones you can't see).
Performers and want-to-be's (not to mention Mimi fans), this symposium
is for you. |
| Schedule: To be announced. |