Back by popular demand… !
Presented by Saul Lilienstein
Music Historian, Smithsonian Affiliates in D.C., Johns Hopkins University, Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center
Ragtime swept the nation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a moment when two communities, European Jewish immigrants seeking refuge and Black Americans searching for their own cultural sanctuary, intersected. Instinctively, they discovered a music that spoke powerfully to both.
This convergence is reflected in the story of Scott Joplin, the Missouri-born composer who stood at the forefront of the ragtime movement. As a young musician, Joplin studied piano with a Jewish immigrant from Germany and quickly gained early fame. When he later moved to New York, he was embraced by African American musicians and noted Jewish influences woven into their improvisational styles.
In this presentation, Saul Lilienstein will explore Joplin’s story, among other musicians who shaped this remarkable fusion, sharing evidence of how these sounds came together to shape a uniquely American music.
Register to receive the Zoom link to join us online. Barring technical issues the recording of this talk will be added to our Program Archive.
A former student of Leonard Bernstein, Saul Lilienstein holds B.A. and M.S. degrees in music from Queens College. Lilienstein was for many years the Artistic Director and Conductor of Maryland’s Harford Opera Theatre and then of Operetta Renaissance in Baltimore, conducting and producing in all well over fifty operas. He initially came to the attention of Maryland audiences as Director of Music for The Handel Choir of Baltimore and the Harford Choral Society. Concurrently and continuing over the decades, Saul was the hidden presence in the choir loft of the Chizuk Amuno Congregation, directing the music.
Today, he continues as a highly regarded Professor of Music in the Washington area. His is a familiar voice at the Smithsonian Institution, Johns Hopkins University, at the Goethe Institut, for symphonic concerts at the Kennedy Center, opera lectures for Washington National Opera, and at music symposiums in New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Palm Beach. Lilienstein’s subjects range from the Origins of Opera to the Origins of Jazz, from Bach and Beethoven to Music of the Gypsies, from Immigrant Cultures to Music of The Beatles. He has now completed over eight-five highly acclaimed Commentaries on CD for The Washington National Opera, analyzing the repertoire in the most extensive series of its kind in the English language.
Lilienstein's essays on music have appeared in newspapers throughout the country, in journals, and in anthologies.
The Haberman Institute extends a special thank you to Andrew R. Ammerman for sponsoring our Spring 2026 program lineup. He dedicates the semester’s learning in loving memory of Josephine and H. Max Ammerman and Stephen C.