The Review - March 2002

Classically trained with a doctorate in music from Columbia University, his primary focus in music is ragtime which, as he pointed out to his audience, was given renewed popularity by the movie "The Sting." Ragtime was the scandalous music of the period, more popular in houses of ill-repute than on the concert stage. Now, it is rehabilitated and is popular enough to be played in the Metuchen Public Library.

Beginning the concert with the "Heliotrope Bouquet" by Scott Joplin, Birnbaum would begin each piece with a brief talk about the composer. From there it was into the music with the familiar notes of ragtime.