[ccfic caption-text format="plaintext"]
By Daniel Curtin
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Seniors at Waterstone at Wellesley enjoyed listening to the beautiful music of dueling pianists Ethan Stone and Adam Bergeron last Thursday.
Ethan Stone studied contemporary jazz at Berklee College of Music. Photos by Daniel Curtin
Adam Bergeron studied classical piano at Umass Amherst. Photos by Daniel Curtin
Dozens of seniors were in attendance as they listened to original pieces of music, as well as classics like Frédéric Chopin’s “Prelude in A Major.” Stone and Bergeron have known each other for more than 30 years and grew up in neighboring towns in North Central Massachusetts.
Stone, who is trained in jazz and contemporary piano, meshed nicely with Bergeron, who studied classical piano. They pair genuinely enjoyed performing together - and joking around, as well. Their different styles of piano-playing mingled beautifully to create an unique blend of both contemporary jazz and a classical sounds.
“We love working together,” Bergeron said. “It has been such a cool experience because working with him has really given me a lot of the necessary education to be successful - not just as a pianist, but a multi-instrumentalist and a composer. A lot of what I have learned about the music business has come from working with this guy.”
In addition to playing music, the pair engaged in quite a bit of witty banter that had members of the audience laughing. The two have very natural chemistry, and it was clear they enjoy playing together almost as much as the audience enjoyed watching them.
The pair played practical jokes on each other - like turning off the other’s microphone - and told many jokes to keep the audience laughing. The pair also told stories to the audience about the different songs they would play.
“So I said: ‘Adam why don’t you write us a piece? A classical-sounding piece that we can play together.’ He said ‘I’d love to,’ and I could see his wheels turning immediately, and I pictured this immense score stretching across the entire wall, [with] very difficult music that I wouldn’t be able to play,” recounted Stone as Bergeron provided the background music for his story. “So I said: ‘The only thing is you have to write it for a virtuoso and a third grader.’”
The performance provided incredible music and a light, playful atmosphere for those in attendance.
“Pretty sure when we get together we do more joking than playing,” Bergeron said.
