Kelton Boblits

Ragtime, blues and early jazz piano

Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, at 7 p.m.
Doors open at 6 p.m.
Admission: $10 | Youth 17 and younger: Free

West Virginia pianist Kelton Boblits brings an evening of ragtime, blues, boogie-woogie, stride piano and early jazz to the Pocahontas County Opera House.

A Fayette County musician, Boblits began playing piano at age 6 and developed an early fascination with old-time piano after hearing Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag.” That interest grew into a repertoire spanning ragtime, Harlem stride, blues, boogie-woogie and other early American piano styles. He won the Junior Division of the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest in both 2018 and 2019.

Old-time piano asks one performer to supply bass, rhythm, melody and improvisation at once. In Boblits’ hands, the instrument can sparkle through a rag, settle into the blues and then gather momentum through rolling boogie-woogie.

Whether you already love early American piano or are discovering these styles for the first time, Boblits offers an energetic look at music that helped shape American popular culture.

Tickets are available online, at the door or at the 4th Ave Gallery (Pocahontas County Artisans Co-op).

The Pocahontas County Opera House Performance Series is presented with support from Pocahontas County Dramas, Fairs and Festivals and the Pocahontas County Convention and Visitors Bureau. This project is supported with financial assistance from the West Virginia Department of Tourism and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.