Select Saturdays at 12pm | No charge to attend
February 15, March 21, July 18, September 26

A few times each year, ragtime pianists from the Orange County Ragtime Society (OCRS) assemble in the gallery at the Muck to take turns on the piano playing ragtime music. Most are veteran performers who have been playing ragtime music for years – in fact, two regulars are former pianists at Disneyland’s Coke Corner and a third regular is currently a part-time player there. The bulk of the pianists have other professions but are dedicated to preserving ragtime music in its many and myriad forms. That includes performing ragtime pieces composed over the last 30 or 40 years – rags considered “contemporary” since they were created many decades after ragtime music’s mainstream popularity had come to an end. And in fact, many of the pianists you’ll be hearing are also ragtime composers.

Just the same, many a new or novice ragtime pianist has graced the stage during the many OCRS performances that have unfolded in north Orange County since OCRS started up in late 2001. So anyone who plays ragtime piano is welcome to take the stage and entertain the audience.

All of the OCRS performances are free of charge, and all are on Saturdays in the early afternoon. At 12 noon, we set up rows of chairs in the gallery, then start performing. We generally wrap things up around 2:15 p.m., replace the chairs and make our exit (although on occasion, we wrap up sooner if there is a wedding being held that day).

We welcome you to join us this year and give yourself a chance to hear some of the best ragtime pianists anywhere!

For more information about OCRS, go to www.ragfest.com or contact OCRS’s founder, Eric Marchese, at his email address, emarchesewriter@gmail.com.