The Conroe Symphony Salon Series
presents
An Afternoon of
Ragtime!
Sunday, March 13
1:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Conroe Symphony Centre
1500 N. Frazier, Conroe, Texas
Benefiting the
Conroe Symphony Youth Orchestra
THE PROGRAMME
Funny Folks (1904)...................................................W.C. Powell
The LTD Ragtime Players (marimbas & xylophone)
Soloist: Lauren Nguyen / Marimbists: Lauren Clough, Geoffrey Curtin,
Will Hanson, Brooklynn Hicks / Director: Ralph Hicks
The Entertainer (1902)………………………………..…….Scott Joplin
Texas Fox Trot (1915, revised 1917).......................... David W. Guion
Scales of San Antonio (2013)..................................... Ezequiel Pallejá
Brooks Christensen (piano)
Riverwalk Rag (2015)................................................ Bill Thompson
Stephanie Harris (flute), Bill Thompson (piano)
Hap' Li'l Mose (1903)…………………………………….…...T.A. Duggan
The Hummer (1916)……………………………………..…..J. Rollie Bibb
Whoa! Nellie! (1915)…………………………………..…….. George Gould
Michael Chisholm (piano)
Maple Leaf Rag (1899)………………………………..……..Scott Joplin
Joseph Birdwell (piano)
Bohemia Rag (1919)………………………………………….Joseph F. Lamb
Rose Leaf Rag (1907)………………………………….……...Scott Joplin
Monty Suffern (piano)
INTERMISSION
Cottontail Rag (1959)............................................... Joseph F. Lamb
Spanish Autumn (2013)...........................................Brian Holland
Chestnut Valley Rag (1961)...................................... Trebor J. Tichenor
Brooks Christensen (piano)
Let's Do It Again (A Ragtime Two Step) (2002).... Brett Youens & Anne Bornhak
Stephanie Harris (flute), Bill Thompson (piano)
Bantam Step (1916)…………………………………………. Harry Jentes
Panama (1911)………………………………………………….William Tyers
That Texas Rag (1913)……………………………….……... Nell Wright Watson
Michael Chisholm (piano)
Kansas City Rag (1907)……………………………………...James Scott
Joseph Birdwell (piano)
Creole Belles (1900)................................................... J. Bodewalt Lampe
Michael Chisholm & Bill Thompson (pianos)
Chicken Fried Steak Rag (2007)………….……..……….. Larisa Migachyov
Companion Rags: Weeping Willow (Joplin,1903) & Sobbing Sycamore (Suffern, 2010)
Monty Suffern & Michael Chisholm (pianos)
Pickles & Peppers (1906).............................................Adaline Shepherd
Brooks Christensen & Michael Chisholm (pianos)
THE LTD RAGTIME PLAYERS are members of Let
Them Drum, a nonprofit corporation providing recreational drum therapy activities and performance opportunities
for special needs and assisted living facilities of The
Woodlands, TX, and surrounding communities. LTD is
proud to partner with The Percussion Studio
(ThePercussionStudio.com) to continue the strong tradition of keyboard percussion transcriptions of the ragtime
era!
BROOKS CHRISTENSEN is originally from St. Joseph, Missouri where his piano career started at age 6. He discovered ragtime at the age of 12 when the movie “The Sting”
was a hit. During the 70’s and 80’s Brooks played ragtime piano in various piano bars
in Kansas City and other cities. He has played ragtime with piano legends JoAnn Castle
and Ragtime Bob Darch. He has performed at major ragtime festivals, including many
Scott Joplin Festivals in Sedalia, Missouri; the Wine Country Ragtime Festival in Sonoma and Napa; and the first and second Buenos Aires Ragtime Festivals. Brooks is President and Owner of Monk Engineering, Inc. and is an avid golfer. He and his wife Carmen
reside in Humble, Texas and enjoy hosting house concerts. (SARS member)
MICHAEL CHISHOLM is a Houston native who now lives in Sugar Land. He was bitten by
the ragtime bug when he saw JoAnn Castle play Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" on a rerun of
the Lawrence Welk Show. Immediately he knew that's what he wanted to do! Since being infected by ragtime's syncopation, he has composed his own rags, started collecting the original
sheet music from the era, and actively participates in several ragtime events all over the country. Michael recently returned from California, where he was one of the featured performers at
the Santa Cruz Ragtime Festival. When he’s not “ragging it up”, he works as a sales associate
at Ace Hardware and is studying music education.at U of H. (SARS member)
STEPHANIE SEARS HARRIS is a graduate of Conroe High School. She has taught
private flute lessons since graduating with a BA in Music from Sam Houston State University in 1994. Stephanie is a charter member of the Conroe Symphony Orchestra.
She plays in the orchestra, serves as Librarian and Equipment Manager, and is a member of the Board of Directors. She is also Assistant Director and flute instructor for the
Conroe Symphony Youth Orchestra. Stephanie works as a 911 dispatcher and shift supervisor in Huntsville, where she lives with her husband Gary.
MONTY SUFFERN is originally from Australia, where he started playing piano at age 7.
He discovered ragtime at the Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, and is now a regular
performer at that festival and many others. Monty has composed a number of rags himself,
including “companion rags” that can be played simultaneously with another rag. In earlier
years, Monty taught engineering and aviation science, and competed in long distance road
rallies in Australia, winning two National Championships. He also builds and flies experimental aircraft Monty and his wife Suzi and their 5 dogs live in Waco. (SARS member)
JOSEPH BIRDWELL is a native Texan. He received his BA from the University of Texas
and MA from University of Arizona. After working for several years as an educator, Joe became a Doctor of Chiropractic and worked in Texas and Baltimore for thirty years. Now retired, he serves as organist for Fairhaven United Methodist Church in Houston and as keyboardist for the Conroe Symphony. Joe has been playing the piano since childhood and
studied with Gaynel Wheeler. He and his wife Connie live in Spring, Texas.
(CONTINUED ON BACK)
(PERFORMER BIOS—CONTINUED)
BILL THOMPSON was born in Houston and began playing piano at the age of 6. He has
been a ragtime fan since hearing Joshua Rifkin’s recordings of Scott Joplin rags in 1970. He
enjoys playing and composing in many styles, including ragtime, pop, classical, and sacred
music. Bill serves on the audiovisual team at First Baptist Church Conroe as well as on the
Board of Directors of the Conroe Symphony Orchestra. He is a Texas Aggie, a Texas CPA and
has been Controller of Martin Chevrolet Buick GMC in Cleveland for 29 years. Bill and his
wife Mary Margaret live in Conroe and have two grown children. (SARS member)
Thank you for coming to today’s concert, which is a benefit for the Conroe Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Your donations are welcome, and will be used to provide scholarships for deserving student musicians.
Make checks payable to CSYO.
ABOUT RAGTIME
Ragtime is a uniquely American musical phenomenon that enjoyed its peak popularity between
1895 and 1918. Ragtime is distinctive for its syncopated, or "ragged", rhythm. Scott Joplin,
James Scott, Joseph Lamb and others were masterful composers of ragtime works. A typical
ragtime composition features a highly syncopated treble lead over a rhythmically steady bass, and
usually consists of three or four contrasting sections or strains, each one being 16 or 32
measures in length. Scott Joplin, the composer of "Maple Leaf Rag", aspired to go beyond the
limitations of this musical form, and his innovation reached its peak with his opera
"Treemonisha".
In the 1920's, ragtime was a strong influence on the early forms of jazz. Ragtime experienced a
revival in the 1970's, and Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" became a hit when it was used along
with other Joplin works in the soundtrack for the movie "The Sting" in 1973. Today, ragtime festivals and concerts can be found worldwide in such places as Missouri, California, Colorado, Argentina and Norway.
INTERNET LINKS
Conroe Symphony Orchestra: conroesymphony.org
San Antonio Ragtime Society (SARS): saragtime.org
Bill Thompson’s Ragtime Links: thompsonian.info/ragtime.html
LTD Ragtime Players: LetThemDrum.org and ThePercussionStudio.com
UPCOMING CONROE SYMPHONY EVENTS:
March 21: Conroe Symphony Benefit Golf Tournament at Walden
Saturday, April 23: CSO Concert at Conroe High School
Saturday, June 25: CSO Concert at Conroe High School
For tickets and information, call 936.760.2144
Conroe Symphony Orchestra
1500 N. Frazier
Conroe, TX 77301