Ragtime and early jazz players from across the country will gather at the University of Mississippi when the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest and Festival celebrates its 51st edition over the Memorial Day weekend.
One of the longest running events of its kind, the festival provides pianists with a vibrant forum to compete, learn and showcase pre-1940 repertoire. The university has hosted the event since 2016.
“It’s one of the few whose aim is to keep this music alive for future generations,” said Ian Hominick, a UM professor of music and the contest’s artistic director. “There are a lot of young people involved with it.
“It serves as an impetus for a lot of young people to get their foot in the door in the business. There are a few contests that focus just on kids, but this one includes everybody.”
The 2025 program runs May 22-25 and features three competitive divisions – Regular, Junior and Senior – each offering cash awards, trophies and medallions, along with a separate New Rag Contest for original compositions. Since its founding, the competition has distributed more than $70,000 in prizes to more than 500 performers from across the United States and five other countries.
Beyond the contest stage, visitors can explore guest presentations, guest artist sets, live accompaniment to silent films, a youth master class, and nightly after‑hours jam sessions that spill out onto Oxford Square, turning the holiday weekend into a nonstop celebration of classic ragtime and jazz.
Paul Orsi, a three-time champion of the contest, recalled inviting one of his piano students to the event several years ago.
“He performed as a youth competitor, did well and went home,” Orsi said. “A couple of years later, he called to say he was applying to Ole Miss and had received a scholarship through the music program.
“Now, he’s completed his first year at Ole Miss and is competing in the open division of the contest this year. It’s amazing to see how the contest played a role in his journey.”
Orsi, a Southern California native who lives in Surprise, Arizona, won his first title in 2019 after initially performing poorly in 2017. He is a judge for this year’s contest.
“I look forward to coming to the university each year,” he said. “It’s the perfect setting for the contest, with a great concert hall, fantastic pianos and a wonderful atmosphere.
“It’s a place where you can connect with ragtime musicians from all over the world. Being from the West Coast, I’ve had the chance to meet East Coast performers I would have never encountered otherwise.”
The Old-Time Piano Playing Contest is a family-friendly event, offering a wholesome environment for music fans of all ages. With discounts for kids 12 and younger, the festival includes various activities such as the Red, White and Blue party celebrating service veterans, silent movie screenings with live theater music and special catered events.
The festival also collaborates with local churches, having previously provided music for Oxford University Methodist Church and moving this year to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, where festival players add a unique touch to traditional gospel hymns, Hominick said.
“It’s a supportive group,” he said. “When people think of competition, they think of something cut-throat, but it’s not that way at all. People are thirsty to learn from the presentations about certain composers that are perhaps off the beaten path, to listen to some of our guests talk about their experiences.”
Check out the festival schedule and purchase tickets here.