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GRAMMY AWARD CITATION! -
Congratulations to our record producer, Judith Sherman, for her 2008 Grammy Award as "Classical Producer of the Year"! In presenting this honor, the Academy cited Judy's work on Paragon's latest CD, Barrelhouse to Broadway! Click to see what the excitment is about!
See our Events page for details on our 22nd annual Touring Season.
A NEW DVD! -
We are proud to announce our new DVD of the classic 1920 film THE MARK OF ZORRO, featuring Paragon playing the original orchestral score! Click here: ZORRO DVD for details and ordering information. This great movie brought the "legend" of Zorro to the screen for the first time; it was also the world's first action-adventure film. The music is terrific too - and this DVD marks the first time in 88 years that it has been reunited with the film! Click here to hear an excerpt from the soundtrack: SWORDFIGHT! (Zorro battles Sgt. Gonzales)
You may now use your credit card on this site to quickly and securely purchase Paragon recordings and DVDs. Click here for a listing of available items: PRO Recordings.
COMING SOON! - Our next audio recording is now in production for New World Records - The Music of George M. Cohan (working title), featuring original scores from this master showman's greatest Broadway shows (coming October 2008).
TREEMONISHA! -
Read about our new touring production of Scott Joplin's opera
TREEMONISHA!
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| Rick Benjamin conducts PRO accompanying Charlie Chaplin's film One A.M., using the original 1916 Mutual Studio music cue sheets. |
In an abandoned warehouse in 1985 Rick Benjamin discovered the long-lost collection of orchestra scores of the Victor Talking Machine Company, and with it the inspiration for the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra (PRO). Mr. Benjamin gathered Juilliard colleagues to perform these turn-of-the-century treasures, and the PRO was born.
The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra is the world's only year-round, professional ensemble specializing in the authentic recreation of the sounds of early musical theater, "silent" cinema, and Victorian and Edwardian ballroom dancing, all played from its vast archive of original 1880s to 1920s orchestrations (orchestra sheet music).
Read a few recent reviews!
Although best known for its concerts and recordings of historic theater and dance music, PRO is also the world's leading silent film music ensemble - accompanying 563 screenings since 1986, all using the original early1900s music "cue sheets" and scores from the Capitol Theatre Orchestra Collection. One critic refers to Paragon as "the Academy of St. Martin at the Cinema"!
RICK BENJAMIN'S PARAGON RAGTIME ORCHESTRA
P.O. Box 247 - Lewisburg - Pennsylvania 17837 U.S.A.
email: info@paragonragtime.com
telephone: (570) 524-9511
The Orchestra recently made a series of wax cylinder recordings on an original 1899 Edison Laboratory Phonograph. To listen to one, click here: PRO Edison cylinder 1. (heard courtesy the Edison National Historic Site)
[Home]
[Sound Clips]
[Events ]
[Recordings New DVD!]
[Biography]
[Backstage]
[Links]
[Context]
[Read about our collaboration with Paul Taylor and the Paul Taylor Dance Company]