2025-2026 Touring Season

Concert Programs:

Have an historic American theater? We have an NEA presenting grant! Click here for details: Paragon Live in Historic American Theaters!

“…delightfully infectious. The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra and its dynamic director have found a winning formula for educating the public in the most enjoyable way….” – FANFARE

*NEW*

Meet Me at the Fair!:
Sights & Sounds from the Great World’s Fairs

Meet Me at the Fair! is a spectacular multi-media celebration of the world’s fairs, including the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, and the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. In this program, world’s fair images by some of America’s greatest painters and photographers are paired with original world’s fair music, as performed by Rick Benjamin and the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra (official resident musicians of the U.S. Pavilion – 1992 World’s Fair). Music played a key role in the success of all these great international festivals, launching both hit songs and the illustrious careers of many American musicians (including Scott Joplin and Sousa). This new PRO program reunites stirring world’s fair hits with the continuous projections of magnificent fairground images. There is audience participation (on “Meet Me In St. Louis, Louis”) and as a finale, the Orchestra accompanies the 1915 silent film A Visit to the World’s Fair using its original orchestral score. All is propelled forward with evocative and humorous narration by conductor Rick Benjamin.

Watch the Video Demo here:
PRO’S Meet Me At The Fair! 

BOOKING INFORMATION:
North America and China –
ARIEL ARTISTS
oni@arielartists.com
(857) 472-3366

Europe, South America, Far East (except China) –
PRIMUSIC – MUSIDAT LTD, VIENNA
office@primusic.at
+43 (676) 500-9036



SCOTT JOPLIN & THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF RAGTIME

Travel back to the early 1900s as modern life begins: America falls in love with electricity and automobiles, flying machines take to the sky, and vaudeville creates American Idols. Join Rick Benjamin and the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra as they bring to life the thrilling sounds of Scott Joplin – “King of Ragtime Writers” – and his ingenious rivals, as they invent “America’s Original Music.” PRO’s most popular program – critically acclaimed across 48 U.S. states and several countries abroad!

Download the PRO Concert Programs flyer/poster here: PRO Concert Flyer (PDF file).

Watch a video excerpt of this show:


PRO records the 1917 dance number, “Step With Pep,” the longtime “opener” of their Scott Joplin & the Original Kings of Ragtime program.

Read an unsolicited presenter endorsement of this program: “Thank You, PRO”

BOOKING INFORMATION:
North America and China –
ARIEL ARTISTS
oni@arielartists.com
(857) 472-3366

Europe, South America, Far East (except China) –
PRIMUSIC – MUSIDAT LTD, VIENNA
office@primusic.at
+43 (676) 500-9036


‘ROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE

PRO Christmas Program

Touring annually in November and December, ‘ROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE is PRO’s stylish and warm-hearted tribute to America’s Holiday musical traditions. This colorful program features favorite selections from the theaters, ballrooms, grand mansions, and humble hearthsides of the Victorian era. Familiar Christmas songs and carols are heard from their original 19th century scores, along with novelties (including a ragtime version of the Nutcracker Suite!) and sparkling instrumental and vocal soloists. As a finale, the Orchestra accompanies a screening of one of the world’s first Christmas movies – a 1905 Thomas Edison production. ‘ROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE is a unique event that will delight and cheer your audiences well into the New Year.

Sample program and sound clips coming soon!

BOOKING INFORMATION:
North America and China –
ARIEL ARTISTS
oni@arielartists.com
(857) 472-3366

Europe, South America, Far East (except China) –
PRIMUSIC – MUSIDAT LTD, VIENNA
office@primusic.at
+43 (676) 500-9036


YOU’RE A GRAND OLD RAG:
GEORGE M. COHAN’S BROADWAY

PRO - Cohan Program photo

For generations, the name GEORGE M. COHAN has conjured the rollicking magic that is Broadway. And this legend is real: as America’s beloved tunesmith and original “Song & Dance Man,” Cohan actually was the father of modern musical theater. This exciting PRO program – starring Colin Pritchard and based on our BILLBOARD-charted Cohan album – offers a stirring look at George M’s amazing life and music – “Give My Regards to Broadway,” “H-a-rr-i-gan,” “The Yankee Doodle Boy,” “Over There!,” and all the rest. You’re A Grand Old Rag is a tap-dancing bravura performance that brings audiences to their feet!

Sample program and sound clips coming soon!

BOOKING INFORMATION:
North America and China –
ARIEL ARTISTS
oni@arielartists.com
(857) 472-3366

Europe, South America, Far East (except China) –
PRIMUSIC – MUSIDAT LTD, VIENNA
office@primusic.at
+43 (676) 500-9036


SPECIAL EVENTS & CUSTOMIZED PROGRAMS:

PRO at South Street Seaport, NYC.

The Orchestra also creates customized programs for special events, Centennials, celebrations, and holidays. With over 20,000 historic scores covering every musical style popular from the Civil War era to the Jazz Age, and with acclaimed American music expert (and showman) Rick Benjamin in charge – we have the power and experience to custom-build programs especially for your venue, event, or theme. Your imagination is the only limit! Our client list over 39 years ranges from billion-dollar entertainment conglomerates to major performing arts centers and museums to small not-for-profit groups (and everything in-between). Call us with your ideas for a free consultation: (570) 524-9511, or email info [at] paragonragtime.com


 

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR SCHOOLS:

The PRO also offers condensed 50 minute versions of all of the above programs for “Young Audiences” in schools; we have different versions of each designed for specific age levels: Kindergarten-2nd Grade, Grades 3-5, Middle School, and High School students. For information on educational programs, and on how to bring Paragon to your school, please call (570) 524-9511, or email info [at] paragonragtime.com

Members of the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra greet young student fans from the stage.
Kids love the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra too! Here, Orchestra members sign autographs for 5th graders at a school concert.

SILENT FILM PROGRAMS

SCOTT JOPLIN’S TREEMONISHA

[CONCERT PROGRAMS]


Downloadable publicity and press information available here:

PRESENTERS & MEDIA RESOURCES

 


Pasadena Star News

"Benjamin and his orchestra filled the second half of the evening with lilting, humorous, and even elegant readings of ragtime numbers, a W.C. Handy blues song, and even a Sousa march…Popular music, A.D. 1900, is still going strong."
– Pasadena Star News

Kansas City Star

“This group is like a ragtime early music ensemble, striving to protect the integrity of this uniquely American musical genre.”
– Kansas City Star

Fanfare 2

“…delightfully infectious. The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra and its dynamic director have found a winning formula for educating the public in the most enjoyable way…”
– Fanfare magazine

LaCrosse Tribune

“The magical, musical time machine.”
– La Crosse Tribune

Washington Post 2

“Summoning both the subtle interplay and brassy vitality these pieces demand, the PRO does itself proud.”
– The Washington Post

Buffalo News

“The results were irresistible. Halfway through the opening Knock-Out Drops Rag, someone enthused audibly, ‘Gee, they’re terrific!’ She was right.”
– Buffalo News

American Heritage

“…the twelve-member Paragon Ragtime Orchestra has been touring the country in the ghostly footsteps of the thousands of ‘theater orchestras’ that once played in every hotel, vaudeville hall, and fair-sized restaurant. Few of them can have played with more bite and sparkle than the Paragon.”
– American Heritage magazine

Gramophone

“…genteel melodic lines swim like fish through pure water.”
– Gramophone magazine

BBC Music magazine

“superbly presented….prize-worthy.”
– BBC Music magazine

American Music magazine

“… a deft, crisp, and energetic group…. one of the premiere forces in the reassertion of this repertoire in our musical consciousness.”
American Music magazine

New York Times

“Best of all, the concert came off not as a dry musicological dig, but as an evening of…abidingly energetic fun.”
– The New York Times

Wall Street Journal

“…protecting an important American treasure…not just be a pleasure to hear but for many a true revelation.”
– The Wall Street Journal

Washington Post

“Vibrantly revived music.”
– The Washington Post

Classics Today

“There’s plenty of variety here to give a representative sampling of some of the era’s finest pop music, and it’s all played with polish, authenticity, and all-out enthusiasm by the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra under Rick Benjamin’s inspired direction.”
– Classics Today

Fanfare magazine

“If PRO is not already labeled a national treasure it should be.”
– Fanfare magazine

Philadelphia Inquirer

“Four Stars…The music is incomparably sweet and stirring. And Rick Benjamin, who founded and conducts the PRO, is a musician of wit and sensibility.”
– The Philadelphia Inquirer

Denver Post

“To hear the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra play the compositions of Scott Joplin or Irving Berlin… is to hear the promise many Americans felt about the prospects for the U.S. a century ago.”
Denver Post

The San Francisco Chronicle

"Ragtime and opera joined hands and danced together in the most joyous fashion at Stern Grove on Sunday afternoon, with a vigorous and utterly charming performance of Scott Joplin’s 'Treemonisha'…the score, superbly led by conductor Rick Benjamin, is a resourceful marvel….For this performance Benjamin…unveiled his new arrangement of 'Treemonisha' for the 11-piece Paragon Ragtime Orchestra. That lithe, pungent blend of strings, woodwinds and brass…gave the performance a lively grace that helped fill the sunny meadow to perfection.”
The San Francisco Chronicle

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