The orchestra was formed by Morten Gunnar Larsen, with the intention of playing orchestrated arrangements of classic ragtime pieces. Morten managed to get the band playing concerts by 1977 - and not long afterwards Ophelia had the pleasure of accompanying the then 94-year-old Eubie Blake on a concert in Oslo (unfortunately not recorded). Gradually the band's repertoire has expanded to include other popular music from the beginning of the last century and now includes 1920's hot music, songs from early stage musicals, vaudeville melodies, waltzes, tangos, and novelty tunes.

In forming Ophelia, Morten has chosen professionals with all kinds of backgrounds: jazz, theatre, opera and philharmonic orchestra. What they have in common is their skill, flair, humour, and love of the music they play together.

The orchestra has played at festivals and toured extensively in the USA, too. Within the last few years the orchestra has worked on a series of 'theme' concerts, highlighting various composers, or works, including: Eubie Blake (Memories of Eubie), George Gershwin, Kurt Weill (Berlin to Broadway) and, of course, Scott Joplin's Treemonisha.

In the Mississippi Rag poll 1999 Ophelia was voted world's best ragtime orchestra.

Members of the orchestra: Morten Gunnar Larsen - p, ld, Morten Brenne - ct, tp, Georg Reiss - cl, sax, Helge Sunde - tb, Bjarne Magnus Jensen - vl, Mikko Lampila - vc, Johnnie Harper - bj, g, Svein Aarbostad - b, Birger Mistereggen - dr, Stale Ytterli - voc