In the 1890s and early 1900s, Missouri was a hotbed of ragtime activity.  Of course, we think of Sedalia as the “Cradle of Ragtime,” for it was here that Scott Joplin composed his “Maple Leaf Rag” while tutoring up-and-coming composers Arthur Marshall and Scott Hayden, and it was here that John Stark began his legendary music publishing house. 
 
But the entire state was ripe with ragtime; from Kansas City in the west to St. Louis in the east — and plenty of points in between. Missouri produced some of the finest and most enduring works now hailed worldwide as exemplars of the genre.  Join us as we celebrate Scott Joplin and the rich legacy of Missouri ragtime.