Tuesday May 26th 2026
7pm / doors at 6pm
When Bend became a city in 1905, ragtime music by Midwesterner Scott Joplin and other African American composers dominated entertainment venues across the US. Even in Deschutes County, Oregon, ragtime enlivened town life for at least 20 years, proving unexpected ties to Tin Pan Alley and the Eastern commercial music industry at the turn of the 20th century.
Joplin’s joyful compositions reflected the vibrancy of the first generation of African Americans born after the Emancipation Proclamation. Today, Joplin’s piano rags rank among the world’s artistic masterworks. Join local music educator, pianist, and scholar Kendra Kay Friar for an interactive discussion of Scott Joplin’s enduring influence on American culture and on the popular entertainment scene of Deschutes County’s early years.
