Started in the basement of a dorm hall at the University of Maryland, the orchestra has grown to perform repeatedly at the Kennedy Center, The Library of Congress, The American Film Institute, and at concert series, colleges and universities, and historic theaters across 27 states. Peacherine has been hailed as “the premier American ragtime ensemble” by The Washington Post, and our recordings have brought the orchestra worldwide attention and acclaim.

Now, as Peacherine prepares for our 15th Anniversary, we’re gearing up for our most ambitious recording project yet, celebrating some of our favorite pieces we’ve performed over the past 15 years:  ragtime, theater, and dance music, as well as early jazz & blues from the late 1800s to the 1920s, and we need your help!

Our next recording project, tentatively titled Fluffy Ruffles (after George Hamilton Green’s 1919 one step), will feature  some of the best and most obscure pieces from the ragtime and early jazz eras. Included will be standard fare: works by Scott Joplin, James Scott, Joseph Lamb, Noble Sissle & Eubie Blake, George Gershwin, etc.along with works by obscure composers, such as Louis Augustin Clark. Many of the selections will be recorded off the original theater orchestrations for the first time since their publishing over 100 years ago! We’ll record not only beautiful instrumental numbers, but also sparkling vocal selections featuring our very own William Edwards and comedienne Karen Vincent.

In addition to the recorded tracks, this recording will feature a booklet of liner notes written by PRSO’s director Andrew Greene, chock full of information on the selections, composers, cover art for the sheet music, rare photographs, and more!

On top of the above, we’ll also be recording several music videos that will be shared on Peacherine’s YouTube Channel, (https://www.youtube.com/peacherineragtime). A core mission of the orchestra has been to share our music as an educational tool, and past videos on our channel have been used to not only entertain, but educate audiences on the history of American popular music.

Read what others have said about past Peacherine recordings:
"Tremendous feeling for the music in these performances... PRSO has the real sound of the period down pat, whether in a march like Sousa's "Semper Fidelis", or a blues like W.C. Handy's "Beale Street". Needless to add, their rags are exquisite." - Fanfare
 

"The PRSO's Elite Syncopations belongs in every ragtime lover's library." - Fanfare
 

"Impeccably performed." - The Syncopated Times
 

"Plenty of variety, played in a sparkling fashion which positively exudes good spirits...evocative of the sound that once would have been heard emanating from a park bandstand on a balmy summer’s afternoon.”– Barry McCanna, Sounds of Yesteryear

We are seeking to raise $20,000 to bring this album to fruition. We have money in place from several donors to get us started, but need your support to make our vision a reality.

Our hope is to record the album sometime in the spring/early summer or 2024, with release slated for fall/holiday season of 2024, just in time for Peacherine’s 15th Anniversary.

The $20,000 we seek to raise will cover:

• Musicians fees.

• Recording studio + engineering costs (including video & audio recording, mixing, mastering & editing) with Arts Laureate, who have worked with PRSO for all of our recordings since 2015. Their work has led to many Peacherine recordings being heralded as “some of the best ragtime recordings available” (Hot Jazz Saturday Night).

• Album Design (including covers, liner notes, physical disc).

• Production and manufacturing of the physical discs and subsequent release on Rivermont Records.

• Fractured Atlas fees & promotion.

In return for your tax-deductible support, we’ll give you fantastic rewards, such as digital & physical copies of the finished CD, behind the scenes access to the production of the recording, your name listed as a backer on PRSO’s website and in the liner notes, even the opportunity to have a private concert performed for you by Peacherine’s Director, or even the entire orchestra! 
 

We're very excited to make our new recording a reality, celebrating the past 15 years of Peacherine, and we won't settle for anything but the best. We thank you for your continued support of the Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra, and look forward to bringing you some of the best music from the Ragtime era!

- Andrew Greene, Founder & Director
Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra