By Martin S. Hussey Jr., Correspondent
Image Credit: Khanh Tran for Horizons
On the night of Jan. 27, the Board of Campus Activities (BCA) hosted the Dueling Pianos, a concert featuring two grand pianos each played by a professional pianist, at the Lower Hangar of the Student Union. Patrons at the event enjoyed the wonderful loud music from the duet pianists and the appetizing and tasty food and drink provided.
The pianists were Joe Fladung and Wes Ringel from the Entertainment Agency, an entertainment company that has been making entertainment with pianists, singers, and guitarists since 1968. According to their profiles on the agency’s website, both men have performed since they were young kids and have traveled across the country to perform in various establishments such as fine hotels and nightclubs. For ERAU, much of the music they played came from the 1970s and theme songs from various movies or shows, including “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” “The Office,” and, naturally, “Top Gun.”
While the pianists had their own songs to play, about half of the songs they played were requested from the patrons, making the performance very interactive. In addition to music, patrons could enjoy the food provided at the event. On the food table was everything from fruits and vegetables to chips and pretzel sticks.
An addition to this year’s Dueling Pianos was the Beer Garden. Students over 21 years old who showed their school ID and an official form of identification got the opportunity to enjoy a cold one with each other and some snacks not offered on the main food table. The choices of beer included Blue Moon, Kilt Lifter, and Mike’s Variety Pack, and the special snacks were Skinny Popcorn and Gardetto’s Snack Mix.
Overall, it was a wonderful night for most attendees. Sophomore Matthew Mahke, who attended the show with his grandparents, had this to say about the concert: “I thought it was pretty neat. It was cool to see how interactive it was and interesting because I thought it was just watching them sing and play. They definitely seemed to engage with the audience quite a bit. Definitely something I would go back and see next year.”
