Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, the only professional year-round ensemble that recreates “America’s Original Music”, is the world’s first and only such group. It plays the rhythmic sounds of silent cinema, vintage dance, and early musical theater. The PRO was created in 1985 by Rick Benjamin, who discovered thousands of old orchestra scores that belonged to Arthur Pryor, a Victrola recording artist. The Orchestra’s formal debut was made at Alice Tully Hall in 1988, making it the first ever Lincoln Center concert by such an ensemble. PRO has performed at hundreds of top arts venues since then, including the Smithsonian Institution’s Chautauqua, Chautauqua and the Brucknerhaus (Austria), New York 92nd Street, Y and the American Dance Festival. Paul Taylor, master choreographer, created Oh You Kid from PRO’s music in 1999. The premiere was presented at The Kennedy Center by both the Paul Taylor Dance Company (with the Orchestra) and the Orchestra. The PRO presented Rick Benjamin’s reconstruction of Scott Joplin’s opera Treemonisha to the San Francisco Stern Grove Festival in June 2003. Paragon was honored to be presented in Minneapolis’s Orchestra Hall in 2005 and 2006 as guests of The Minnesota Orchestra. The PRO is well-known for its performances at festivals, concert halls and universities around the world. It also has a large following abroad thanks to its radio programs on WQXR, National Public Radio and the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Walt Disney Company relies on the Orchestra’s recordings to produce outdoor music at Disneyland Paris, Disney World and Main Street, U.S.A. since 1989. The PRO also strengthened its international following through its extended U.S. engagement. Ambassador of Goodwill at 1992 World’s Universal Exposition, Seville, Spain. The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra can be heard over the years on many motion pictures and television programs. The audio and video recordings of the Orchestra have been highly acclaimed and are considered to be instrumental in rekindling American interest in America’s rich tradition of theater, cinema and dance orchestra music. Recordings: New World Records and Vanguard, Rialto Records. Newport Classic, Dorian Classic, Dorian, GB, Gaslight. from http://paragonragtime.com
