Biography
The Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra (PRSO) is the leading professional ragtime orchestra in the United States. Under the direction of virtuoso Andrew Greene, PRSO recreates the syncopated stylings of a bygone era - Ragtime, Theater, and Dance music, along with underscoring classic silent films using an immense archive of over 15,000 original orchestral scores.
A crowd favorite while performing at venues from The Kennedy Center, The Library of Congress, The American Film Institute, historic theaters, major performing arts centers, universities and more across the United States... PRSO is also a favorite on radio stations everywhere!
Their programs highlight the music of the late 1800s and early 1900s, with selections by composers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, W.C. Handy, Eubie Blake, George M. Cohan, and of course, the King of Ragtime, Scott Joplin. Their silent film programs feature the biggest names of the day (Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd Laurel & Hardy, Douglas Fairbanks, and more), and have earned them worldwide recognition and fame.
Peacherine records for Rivermont Records (www.rivermontrecords.com), whose recordings on CD and vinyl have been praised as "first class", "wonderful, toe tapping fun", and "the most satisfying ragtime orchestra collections available."
About PRSO Director Andrew Greene
Conductor Andrew Greene is one of the leading authorities on orchestral ragtime and silent film accompaniment in the United States. Mr. Greene founded Peacherine while a freshman at the University of Maryland in 2010, hoping to draw attention to this neglected but historically important music.
He is the curator of several prominent orchestral collections, notably the John. S. Maddox, Eastman Theater (Rochester NY), Arthur C. Ziegler, Arthur O. Newberry, and Fred G. Bauer Collections, along with his own personal collection of American popular music. The collection totals over 15,000 selections, and focuses heavily on the music of 1882 to 1935.
Mr. Greene has appeared at the Kennedy Center, The Smithsonian Institution, The Library of Congress, and the American Film Institute, among others. His lecturing, guest conducting, and concert activities have taken him across the United States, with notable recent performances with The South Dakota Symphony, The Fremont Symphony, Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival, West Coast Ragtime Festival, and the Central Pennsylvania Ragtime Festival. Mr. Greene resides in Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania, home of the East Broad Top Railroad. His personal website is www.greeneragtime.com.
