52 | NOVEMBER 2 • 2023 J
N
ARTS&LIFE
MUSIC
A
banjo player and an organist have put together a ragtime
concert to raise money for the restoration of the organ at
the Masonic Temple in Detroit. The event is scheduled
for 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, in the Cathedral Theatre at the
Masonic Temple.
“I want the audience to learn how enjoyable it is to experience
live music, especially with this instrumentation,” said Aaron
Lewis, the banjo player and a Detroiter who will appear with
Stephen Warner on the organ. “It’s very unusual to have classic
banjo music and pipe organ duets.”
The duet team will be joined at times by Alex Belhaj on guitar
and Abby Alwin on cello.
“I want people to experience a connection to the past and a
bridge to our shared cultural history because there are so many
things that divide us in these days,” said Lewis, who attributes the
start of ragtime to the black community at the end of the 19th
century and the beginning of the 20th century. “I want to
focus on the things that can bring us together. It’s an
opportunity to recognize the incredible contributions
of black people to the cultural wealth of this country.”
Lewis, 42, who identifies with the basic tenets of
the Lewis Jewish family upbringing and also has
focused his musical career on country and folk
styles, lined up a program featuring the work of
many ragtime artists, such as Leslie Stuart, Joe
Morley and James Scott.
The distinctive feature of ragtime music is being
linked to a syncopated melody.
“The unexpected synergy between these two
instruments from entirely different worlds has left me
feeling inspired,” said Brandon Langford, the Masonic
Temple’s curator of organs and a member of the Masonic
Temple Association Board of Trustees. “I’m particularly
inspired by this event because it will be the
first opportunity for the public to hear the
organ in concert since it was installed 98
years ago.”
Proceeds from ticket sales will go toward
restoring the Skinner organ, which requires
$500,000 in additional work.
Musicians plan ragtime concert
to benefit Masonic Temple organ.
Restoration
Fundraiser
SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Banjo player
Aaron Lewis will
play at the ragtime
concert fundraiser.
Details
For concert
tickets, at $35
each, go to
themasonic.com.