Ron Bierman

First Show

Louis Armstrong's sextet

Favorite Show

The Music Man

Favorite Stories

• BWW Interview: Frederica Von Stade of at San Diego Opera - Mezzo Soprano Frederica von Stade was the first widely recognized opera singer I ever interviewed and a pleasure to interview, pretty much the opposite of the stereotypical image of a "Diva." I was surprised to learn that the women who sang for five Presidents loved jazz while growing up, saw all the great Broadway shows and stood outside Manhattan's Metropole Cafe listening to Dizzy Gillespie when she was too young to go in.
• BWW Feature: SAN DIEGO'S CLASSICAL MUSIC SCENE - When I first came to San Diego more than 25 years ago, the theater scene was thriving, but classical music performances were few and well below the quality I expected in a city of San Diego's size. Today the picture is dramatically different. There are far more performances and their musicianship has yet to be recognized outside of the area. This feature explains why.
• BWW Review: SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY PRESENTS JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH CHICK COREA at San Diego Jacobs Music Center -
• BWW Review: DR. JOHN IN SAN DIEGO at Embarcadero Marina - Jazz and classical music were my favorites when I was growing up. I still love listening to both Thelonius Monk and Leonard Bernstein. Dr. John, one of the most successful of New Orleans' many jazz musicians, was visibly ailing as he came to the stage and died not long after performing. Once he sat at the piano, he seemed 30 years younger, voice still a strange raspy pleasure and piano playing as good as any in the New Orleans style.
• BWW Review: THE FOUR TOPS AND THE TEMPTATIONS at the San Diego Symphony's Bayside Summer Nights - I liked Dr. John's combination of showmanship and musical talent. It was a joy to see how he defied his uncertain health with infectious old-style New Orleans piano.