East Central University is proud to announce “King of Ragtime: ECU Commemorates the Life and Music of Scott Joplin” to be held on Monday, Nov. 6, in the Ataloa Theatre of the Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center.
Preconcert cakewalks, with gourmet cake prizes, will begin at 7 p.m. The formal program will commence at 7:30 p.m.
The event marks the centennial of the death and sesquicentennial of the birth of America’s great composer of ragtime music. Joplin is best known as the composer of The Entertainer, and the Maple Leaf Rag. His music, with its syncopated rhythms, also became a major influence upon and a forerunner of Jazz.
The event will feature Chautauqua scholar Charles Everett Pace who will deliver a presentation in character as Scott Joplin. A concert featuring internationally acclaimed pianist Donald Ryan will follow with a wide range of Joplin’s lively pieces.
ECU dancers, faculty and students will also perform and audience members will have several chances to win gourmet cakes provided by the ECU Family and Consumer Sciences program.
The concert is free and open to the public. For additional information contact W. T. Skye Garcia at 580-436-5329 or wgarcia@ecok.edu or Houston Mount at 580-559-5422.
Funding for this program is provided in part by a grant from Oklahoma Humanities (OH), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the ECU Foundation, Inc. and the ECU Cultural Activities Committee. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of OH or NEH.
About Oklahoma Humanities: The mission of Oklahoma Humanities (OH) is to strengthen communities by helping Oklahomans learn about the human experience, understand new perspectives, and participate knowledgeably in civic life. OH is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. As the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, we
strive to stimulate discussion, encourage new perspectives, and to actively engage people in the humanities disciplines, such as history, literature, philosophy and ethics.
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