Review from American Music magazine

"... a deft, crisp, and energetic group.... one of the premiere forces in the reassertion of this repertoire in our musical consciousness."  
American Music

Review from Classics Today

"There’s plenty of variety here to give a representative sampling of some of the era’s finest pop music, and it’s all played with polish, authenticity, and all-out enthusiasm by the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra under Rick Benjamin’s inspired direction."
Classics Today

Review by The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Four Stars...The music is incomparably sweet and stirring. And Rick Benjamin, who founded and conducts the PRO, is a musician of wit and sensibility."
The Philadelphia Inquirer

Review 2 by The Washington Post

"Vibrantly revived music."
The Washington Post

Review by the Wall Street Journal

"...protecting an important American treasure...not just be a pleasure to hear but for many a true revelation."
The Wall Street Journal

Review from Fanfare magazine

"If PRO is not already labeled a national treasure it should be."
Fanfare magazine

Review by The New York Times

"Best of all, the concert came off not as a dry musicological dig, but as an evening of...abidingly energetic fun."
The New York Times

Review by the Pasadena Star News

"Benjamin and his orchestra filled the second half of the evening with lilting, humorous, and even elegant readings of ragtime numbers, a W.C. Handy blues song, and even a Sousa march...Popular music, A.D. 1900, is still going strong."
Pasadena Star News

Review by the Denver Post

"To hear the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra play the compositions of Scott Joplin or Irving Berlin… is to hear the promise many Americans felt about the prospects for the U.S. a century ago."
The Denver Post

Review by BBC Music magazine

"superbly presented....prize-worthy."  
BBC Music

Review by Gramophone magazine

"...genteel melodic lines swim like fish through pure water."
Gramophone

Review by American Heritage magazine

"...the twelve-member Paragon Ragtime Orchestra has been touring the country in the ghostly footsteps of the thousands of 'theater orchestras' that once played in every hotel, vaudeville hall, and fair-sized restaurant. Few of them can have played with more bite and sparkle than the Paragon."
American Heritage Magazine

Review by the Buffalo News

"The results were irresistible. Halfway through the opening Knock-Out Drops Rag, someone enthused audibly, 'Gee, they're terrific!' She was right."
Buffalo News

Review 1 by The Washington Post

"Summoning both the subtle interplay and brassy vitality these pieces demand, the PRO does itself proud."
The Washington Post

Review by the La Crosse Tribune

"The magical, musical time machine."
The La Crosse Tribune

Review by Fanfare magazine

“…delightfully infectious. The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra and its dynamic director have found a winning formula for educating the public in the most enjoyable way….”

Review by The San Francisco Chronicle

"Ragtime and opera joined hands and danced together in the most joyous fashion at Stern Grove on Sunday afternoon, with a vigorous and utterly charming performance of Scott Joplin's "Treemonisha"...the score, superbly led by conductor Rick Benjamin, is a resourceful marvel....For this performance Benjamin...unveiled his new arrangement of "Treemonisha" for the 11-piece Paragon Ragtime Orchestra. That lithe, pungent blend of strings, woodwinds and brass...gave the performance a lively grace that helped fill the sunny meadow to perfection."
The San Francisco Chronicle

Review by the Kansas City Star

"This group is like a ragtime early music ensemble, striving to protect the integrity of this uniquely American musical genre"
The Kansas City Star
Where America's Music Begins
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