Name: Monika Herzig In Concert: The Queens of Indianapolis Ragtime
Start: 2026-01-19T16:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-01-19T18:00:00-05:00
Location: Indiana Music History Project

Monika Herzig In Concert: The Queens of Indianapolis Ragtime

Currently serving as Professor for Artistic Research at the Jam Music Lab Private University in Vienna, Dr. Monika Herzig is an author, musician, and the chair of the research committee for the Jazz Education Network. She will perform a FREE concert featuring Ragtime compositions by Hoosier composers May Aufderheide and Julia Niebergall on January 19th from 4pm to 6pm at our museum space in Broad Ripple. Discover the role of Ragtime as truly American heritage and learn more about the significant contribution of these two Indianapolis women.
The Hidden Figures of Ragtime: May Aufderheide and Julia Niebergall, Indianapolis’ Queens of Ragtime
Ragtime, as a form of syncopated piano compositions, became popular in the 1890s and boosted the music economy with sales of sheet music and pianos until the 1920s. Ragtime is a uniquely American music style and its history runs parallel to the early jazz history, incorporating highly syncopated melodies accompanied by steady left-hand patterns outlining the bass notes and chords. With the piano being a stationary instrument, it was initially not included in the early Marching Bands in New Orleans and mostly developed as a solo instrument. The piano was a status symbol for middle-class families, associated with femininity, class, and charm. The daughters of the house were encouraged to entertain, and learning the piano was even associated with regulating feminine moods. However, access to learning to the study of performance and composition also allowed access to individual musical expression and with the increasing popularity of ragtime compositions, many women found a voice as composers and helped shape early jazz history, a fact much underrepresented in history books. Indianapolis had a thriving scene of female Ragtime composers, led by May Aufderheide (1888 – 1972) and Julia Niebergall (1886 – 1968).
Monika Herzig is a longtime fixture in the Central Indiana jazz scene and has served as a professor at Indiana University/Bloomington, both as a solo artist and as a member of the group Beeblebrox.
This event is free and will be held in the Indiana Music History Lounge on the main floor of Flanner Buchanan/Broad Ripple where the Indiana Music History Project has its headquarters and museum. You can visit the museum of Indiana music history while you are here.
Free parking in the back lot, and enter through the back door of the building.