An Afternoon of Ragtime 2025: The Conroe Symphony Salon Series

CONROE, TX -- Each year for the past six in late August, Conroe Symphony Orchestra President Bill Thompson has been bringing Ragtime enthusiasts from across Texas, and The Country, to Conroe for an afternoon of music from over 127 years ago to even some modern day renditions. At the CSO rehearsal center on North Frazier in Conroe, the piano tunes play, and even those from some flutes, brings to life music our great-grand-parents may have been familiar with in a time when the Ford Model T wasn’t even a gleam in Henry’s eye. The Ragtime period was relatively short in an era before radio or television, lasting from the late 1890s to generally 1920, when the Jazz Age gave way to the Roaring Twenties and Prohibition, which disregarded many an inhibition, allowing for illegal booze in speakeasies to flow, and the famous Flappers to take hold. Ragtime is the musical style with its signature trait being a syncopated, or ‘ragged’ rhythm, which can remind of big band marches with the patterns arranged in repeats and reprises.

There is plenty of sheet music out there that allows for modern day musicians, many classically trained to delve into the past and awaken their rag-time dreams. You learn something new every year at the salon, and it was incredible to learn that some rag-time players were not composers, and had to play their music in front of those well versed in placing notes on paper, in order for their pieces to be published for public consumption. Scott Joplin of course is the ‘King of Ragtime,’ and many of his pieces are played each year, but other performers of the time, even modern day players and composers, sneak their work into the informal event. Each performer at the salon generally played two pieces, then takes a break, before another performer addresses the piano.

This performers for this year’s Ragtime Salon were Flute Rhapsody, consisting of Stephanie Harris, Kim Bellini, Sara Chung Ryherd, Karen Pagania, Faith Bloomfield, John Allgood (Alto Flute), and the multi-talented Liz Royce, on the Bass Flute. The Pianists were Hayden Braun, Brooks Christensen, Monty Suffern, Michael Chisholm, Steuart Dewar, Belinda Huber, Bill Thompson, Alecia Russell, and Abby Jo Jackson. The Rhapsody group kicked off the afternoon with Scott Joplin’s ‘The Cascades,’ which was an interesting little tune with a carnival-like atmosphere, especially with the St. Louis World’s Fair and The 1904 Summer Olympics were in town as well. And for being a 121 year old piece, one could say it was a pretty ‘rocking’ tune.

A duet of CSO President Bill Thompson and Conroe piano teacher Alecia Russell, played Charles ‘Luckey’ Roberts, ‘Junk Man Rag.’ written in D major, it’s quick, and jumps. It makes a great duo piece, and Thompson admitted that Russell did most of the heavy lifting, but Bill held his own making for an enjoyable ride with no miscues. Montgomery pianist Hayden Braun played Scott Joplin’s 1899 ‘Maple Leaf Rag.’ which was recorded by the US Marine Band in 1906, and is the oldest surviving recording of the piece. It’s an homage to the Maple Leaf Club, one of the major black clubs in Sedalia, Missouri, where Joplin lived for a time. Braun was born blind and plays the piano by ear. He plays in Walden weekly at the Yacht Club and tunes pianos when not playing.

Long time ragtime player Brooks Christensen, from San Antonio, offered the salon Adaline Shepherd’s ‘Pickles & Peppers,’ a 1906 song that had the audience rocking back and forth. Brooks has been playing since 1973. While Australian by birth, now from Waco, Texan by-choice Monty Suffern has also been playing for decades, and still enjoys entertaining audiences. He played a 1920s medley of Darktown Strutters Ball, Alexander’s Ragtime Band, and Sweet Georgia Brown. Monty enjoys flying his plane to Conroe and San Antonio for ragtime events.

Michael Chisholm traveled from California for this year’s salon. He organizes almost two dozen ragtime festivals each year which keeps him busy, and he is well versed in collecting authentic ragtime sheet music. He plays excellent renditions from ragtime composers not as well known as the Great Joplin. This year he featured ragtime composer George Botsford, and his 1908 ‘Klondike Rag,’ which references the famous Klondike Gold Rush from 1896-1899, which made many suppliers, hoteliers, and bar owners wealthy, but few miners.

Ragtime duo Steuart Dewar, from the UK, and his wife Belinda Huber, from Fredericksburg, are relatively new converts to regime, but you wouldn’t know when they take the stage. They delighted the audience with Zez Confrey’s 1924 rag ‘Kinda Careless,’ which was arranged by Dewar. The piece is late in the rag game, and experts maintain Confrey incorporated some early Blues into the piece, which led to bringing about Jazz in the 1920s.

The youngest participant in the salon was 12 year-old Abby Jo Jackson, who played Martha Miers’ modern 1993 rage ‘Ragtime Do-Si-Do,’ to great applause. She was the youngest pianist last year as well, and her courage and confidence to play in front of an audience is growing. She started even earlier than Brooks Christensen, who was 12 in 1973 when the famous movie ‘The Sting,’ came out that year. Abby Jo’s love of ragtime may just have her making a career out of ragtime just as Michael Chisholm has, and the future looks bright for this young lady of the keys.

Each year The Conroe Symphony’s Salon Series, located at 1500 N Frazier St, in Conroe, is a full, and free afternoon of wonderful music. You can come and go at your leisure, and it’s a great way to be one with the music.

The website for the CSO is: conroesymphony.org, and please consider donating to this wonderful organization.

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