A longtime performer and promoter of ragtime music, Eric Marchese had always dreamed of seeing an annual ragtime festival in Orange County. He saw that dream realized in early 2000 when he co-founded RagFest 2000 with the Fullerton-based non-profit organization Friends of Jazz. Together, he and FOJ have produced the event in downtown Fullerton in October every year since. Spurred on by the demand for live ragtime music performance more than once a year, Eric founded the Orange County Ragtime Society in November, 2001. The group meets several times a year in downtown Fullerton, offering free musicales of vintage and contemporary ragtime as well as ragtime-related selections.

As a pianist, Eric performs a wide variety of ragtime styles, from Scott Joplin and his fellow Classic ragtimers to early ragtime pieces, Tin Pan Alley, folk, Novelty and some of the more advanced rags that emerged in the 1910s. As a composer, he has written more than 70 pieces for piano, many of which he has published and which he includes in his repertoire along with piano pieces composed by his ragtime peers.

Eric has taken his act to numerous libraries, retirement communities, civic organizations and private residences all over Southern California and has appeared at such venues as Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo, the Sunshine Brooks Theatre in Oceanside and the Shannon Performing Arts Center in Whittier. He has performed at annual ragtime music events like the West Coast Ragtime Festival, the Ragtime Pianorama of San Clemente’s annual Dixieland by the Sea festival and the “Ragtime Corner” of the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee and is an occasional guest of the Rose Leaf Ragtime Club and the Valley Ragtime Stomp. You can hear of some of his performances and compositions at Noisy Planet’s website and see/hear them on YouTube.

As festival coordinator, Eric will accompany vocalist ERIKA C. MILLER, offer a variety of solo selections, and emcee portions of RagFest weekend’s many programs.