He is a director, pianist, tuba player, conductor, and music historian who studied at the Juilliard School.
After discovering numerous theater and silent film scores that had been held by the composer, conductor and trombonist Arthur Pryor he founded the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra to perform these works and they have since become internationally acclaimed, performing on the international stage.
He has appeared as a guest pops conductor with orchestras that include the New Jersey Symphony, The National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. He has made several recordings and his work can be heard on the soundtrack for the 2004 silent film The Deserter.
In the field of musical education he has been a lecturer at Susquehanna and Bucknell universities.
Paragon Ragtime Orchestra recordings
Bring Me Back My Lovin’ Honey Boy ( George Linus Cobb/ Jack Yellen)
Newport Classic NC 60069 (CD: The Whistler and His Dog)
Conductor – Rick Benjamin
Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Benjamin_(conductor)
- http://www.newworldclassics.com/benjamin.htm
- http://imdb.com/name/nm2112973/
- http://www.paragonragtime.com/history.html