He turned to opera with the 1903 work “Guest of Honor” likely inspired by Booker T. Washington’s dinner at the White House

Scott Joplin, the renowned African American composer and pianist known as the “King of Ragtime,” turned to opera with the 1903 work “Guest of Honor.” The opera is believed to have been inspired by Booker T. Washington’s historic dinner at the White House. Notably, Washington was the first African American invited to dine at the White House, by then-president Theodore Roosevelt. Joplin’s opera sadly has been lost over time, and no copies of the score are known to exist today.