David Reffkin is the director of The American Ragtime Ensemble, founded in 1973, and he is a leading authority on ragtime orchestration and performance. His ragtime career began during study at the New England Conservatory as a recording engineer on the Grammy-winning
Red Back Book album of the NEC Ragtime Ensemble, and he later became a member of that group. He hosted
The Ragtime Machine, a radio program broadcast every week for 30 years. Many of his interviews and reviews appeared in
The Mississippi Rag, for which he was a contributing editor and won the readers' poll for Best Ragtime Journalist. As a professional violinist, he appears as a soloist and member of various ensembles, performing many styles of music. David is also a conductor, arranger and music contractor. Acknowledged for his editorial work, he wrote the Foreword for the discography
Cakewalks, Rags and Novelties (2003). David was one of the musicians who helped create the Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in 1974, organized and directed the All-Star Orchestra, and in 2006 received that festival's Scott Joplin Award. In 2011, the City of San Francisco presented him with the Mayor's Certificate of Honor. He has given numerous seminars at ragtime festivals around the country.
David Reffkin is the director of The American Ragtime Ensemble, founded in 1973, and he is a leading authority on ragtime orchestration and performance. His ragtime career began during study at the New England Conservatory as a recording engineer on the Grammy-winning
Red Back Book album of the NEC Ragtime Ensemble, and he later became a member of that group. He hosted
The Ragtime Machine, a radio program broadcast every week for 30 years. Many of his interviews and reviews appeared in
The Mississippi Rag, for which he was a contributing editor and won the readers' poll for Best Ragtime Journalist. As a professional violinist, he appears as a soloist and member of various ensembles, performing many styles of music. David is also a conductor, arranger and music contractor. Acknowledged for his editorial work, he wrote the Foreword for the discography
Cakewalks, Rags and Novelties (2003). David was one of the musicians who helped create the Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in 1974, organized and directed the All-Star Orchestra, and in 2006 received that festival's Scott Joplin Award. In 2011, the City of San Francisco presented him with the Mayor's Certificate of Honor. He has given numerous seminars at ragtime festivals around the country.