The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra at the Orpheum Theatre -- March 16.
Saturday, March 16, 7:30 p.m.
Orpheum Theatre, 57 South Kellogg Street, Galesburg IL
Standing as the world’s only year-round, professional ensemble that specializes in the authentic recreation of “America’s Original Music," the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra plays a March 16 concert at Galesburg's Orpheum Theatre in celebration of the venue's centennial year, recreating the sounds of early theatre, vintage dance, and “silent” cinema in their program The Clown Princes: Chaplin, Keaton, & Lloyd.
Known by its acronym PRO, he Paragon Ragtime Orchestra came into being as the result of Juilliard student Rick Benjamin's 1985 discovery of thousands of historic orchestra scores of legendary Victor recording company. This extraordinary collection sparked Benjamin’s formation of his Paragon Ragtime Orchestra at The Juilliard School the following year. In 1988, the orchestra made its formal debut at Alice Tully Hall – the first concert ever presented at Lincoln Center by such an ensemble. Since then, PRO has toured extensively across 48 states and several countries overseas. These travels have taken the orchestra to more than 700 performing arts centers, including the Ravinia Festival, the Smithsonian Institution, Chautauqua, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, the Austria’s Brucknerhaus, the American Dance Festival, and, in New York, at the 92nd Street Y and City Center.
PRO's music inspired legendary choreographer Paul Taylor's dance suite Oh, You Kid!, which premiered at The Kennedy Center jointly by the Paul Taylor Dance Company and the Paragon and has since toured the world. In 2003, the orchestra premiered Rick Benjamin’s reconstruction of Scott Joplin’s opera Treemonisha at the Stern Grove Festival in a performance hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “ vigorous and utterly charming.” More recently, PRO has appeared twice as special guests of the Minnesota Orchestra, and in 2017 had the honor of presenting the official Scott Joplin Centennial Memorial concert at the composer’s grave in Queens, New York.
In addition to its worldwide concert hall, university, and festival appearances, PRO has acquired a considerable following both in the U.S. and abroad through its radio programs on National Public Radio, the New York Times' WQXR, the BBC, the WWFM Classical, and the Voice of America networks. Since 1989, more than 600,000,000 people have enjoyed the orchestra’s recorded area music on Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland, Disney World, and Disneyland Paris, and in 1992, PRO proudly served as "Ambassador of Goodwill" for the United States at the World's Fair in Seville, Spain. Over the years, the orchestra has been heard on the soundtracks of several feature films and television programs, including productions for PBS, HBO, the FX Channel, and Turner Classic Movies. The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra's widely praised discography includes 19 albums and two DVD sets of historic Hollywood films with authentic scores. PRO’s recordings have made the Billboard Charts (“Top Classical Albums”) and have won three major critic’s awards: Gramophone’s “Editor’s Choice,” BBC Music’s “Opera of the Month,” and Stereophile’s “Record of the Month."
Beyond hearing the orchestra’s nostalgic sound and film accompaniment during the ensemble's area engagement, audiences can expect to view excerpts of three silent movies: One Week (1920) starring Buster Keaton, Easy Street (1917) starring Charles Chaplin, and Get Out & Get Under (1920) starring Harold Lloyd. Upon conclusion of the event, the audience will be asked to vote for which of the three comedic geniuses will be named the Clown Prince of Galesburg.
The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra presents The Clown Princes: Chaplin, Keaton, & Lloyd at the Galesburg theatre on March 16, admission to the 7:30 p.m. concert event is $25-30, and more information and tickets are available by calling 309.342.2299 and visiting GalesburgOrpheum.org/tickets.
