The Sierra Foothills Ragtime Society meets Every Odd month of the year, on the third Saturday of the Month at a house or business in Sutter, Since the Ice Cream Store Closed, we are in the process of finding a permanent location to hold our meetings. Sutter Creek . (Note: Our meetings have been temporarily suspended as we are finalizing our plans to do a late afternoon meetings at Sina's Backroads Cafe, as she has graciously been housing one of the festival's piano.) Stay Tuned. 3:30 - 6:30 pm
We invite any one who attends to play the piano or bring their instrument of choice to play along. Always a lot of fun and great music to have a yummy dessert by.
If you'd like to be on our mailing list please fill out the information on the contact page.
The Sierra Foothills Ragtime Society Is also proud to be a part of the Musician Scholarship Program with the festival. Here we are including the Letter from the 2019 recipient of the $400 scholarship, Anthony Sarginson. We know that Anthony will excel in his studies and will become a driving force in the Ragtime community in the years to come. Anthony wrote: Hello, I am incredibly thrilled to be awarded this scholarship! Ever since I was young, I have always dreamed of exceeding proficiency at the piano. When I was 10, I discovered a little piano game that I could plug into the television. I would always play it and feel proud of myself, wishing I could be one of the maestros on the screen. Up until my first Sutter Creek Ragtime Festival in 2015, I watched my dad fiddle around on a keyboard we have and I’ve always been intrigued by the sound that comes out of it. Gradually, I taught myself, first venturing into the world of Beethoven and several other highly accomplished composers. I reached a bump when I discovered the amazing pianist, Tom Brier. I could not stop listening to him on the internet and I was thinking that it would be crazy to ever meet him. Living in Clovis, I found out about the Historic Sutter Creek Festival which Tom coincidentally performs in and it is only about 3 hours away! After attending the festival, I can now realize that it was the thing that truly sparked my unconditional love for music and made it definite that I pursue music as a career. This extraordinary event was the first time I heard and played along with other performers and I felt at home by the wonderful hospitality of the ragtime players/enthusiasts. Through attending several year-round festivals, submitting forms to participate in piano competitions and getting official lessons, I knew that in order to get better, it is imperative that I work hard to transform my dreams into reality. I am currently a Senior at University High School on the campus of California State University, Fresno, which has been such a great experience. Being a college prep school, it can be tedious and dreadful, but I am able to work through everything with my amazing senior class who all spontaneously follow our code of character: Understanding, Honorable, and Studious. The school has offered me an extensive knowledge on music theory and at the same time has paved the way for college (taking Fresno State courses and receiving much college prep counseling) which is not too common for a high school to have. As I look into college for next year I hope to receive a musical composition degree. Pursuing music means the world to me so thank you so much for investing in my dreams! Ad astra per aspera! -Anthony Sarginson
2022 - $500 Scholarship recipient Scott Leonard wrote: Hello Sutter Creek ragtime Society, I was so excited to have received the 2021 Ragtime Scholarship. I feel honored by your generosity. As long as I can remember, I've always wanted to play the piano. Thank goodness my parents supported my dream! Your festival was pivotal for me. in 2019 I started learning ragtime and I loved it. In 2020 my Mom researched where the closest ragtime festival was to our home in Oregon and lucky for me, she found Sutter Creek. When i arrived at your festival I had never played in front of an audience before.. Your festival gave me the confidence and inspired me to continue my musical journey. Since attending the festival in 2021 I have been attending school at the Arts and Communication Magnet academy in Beaverton, Oregon, focusing on music performance. And I recorded my first Album! Your festival was the first group of musicians to foster and encourage my playing. So, thank you, thank you for your support. Thank you for welcoming me and thank you for the thoughtful scholarship. I look forward to seeing everyone at the 2022 festival. Sincerely, William Francis Leonard
2023 - $500 Scholarship recipient Carter Enos wrote: I am 18 years old from Tulsa, Oklahoma. I first found out about ragtime through videos on YouTube of Tom Brier. I loved his renditions of iconic video game scores, and slowly I started to enjoy ragtime in general. The main reason why I wanted to go to Sutter Creek in 2021 was so that I could see your ice cream emporium that Tom often played at. For that festival, I learned a ragtime rendition of Disney's "Be Our Guest" arranged by Kristen Mosca. It was a difficult piece considering it was my first proper ragtime piece I had ever learned, but I'm glad I got a chance to play it at the Chocolatte during one of their open nights. I have been playing the piano for 11 years, but I've never attempted ragtime before. It's a tricky style that even my piano teacher has a hard time playing! Since then, I've been learning more ragtime pieces. I even have a few of Tom Brier's compositions prepared that I want to play at Skunk Hollow this year. My goal is to write my first ever composition over the summer that I could play at the festival. I've never been trained in ragtime, so I'll have to do a lot of research over proper formatting and what constitutes as a rag and differentiating between different types of ragtime like stride or cakewalks. Carter Enos 2024 - $1000 Scholarship recipient Rebeka McCarty Wrote: I am sincerely honored to have been selected as a recipient of the 2024 Ragtime Scholarship! Since I was young, music has always been a major part of my life. It is so engrained in me that I would likely be lost without it. I was six years old when I first picked up the violin. At that time, I knew that was the instrument I wanted to play and have been doing so ever since. I am currently a Violin Performance major at the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Earning this degree will provide the technical skills, musical knowledge, and performance opportunities needed for me to be successful as a professional musician. I would love to become a traveling solo violinist, but there are many exciting musical paths to explore. As an aspiring performer, I hope to share my love of music with others and inspire them to support, and perhaps pursue, the arts themselves. Thank you greatly for supporting my goals!! I look forward to attending the 2024 festival! I would also like to give thanks to my boyfriend Carter Enos, last year's scholarship recipient, for introducing me to the wonderful world of ragtime and encouraging me to apply for this scholarship!