On Thursday, December 5, East Cambrdige Piano (profiled in our January, 2018 issue) hosted a stop on the Casio Road Show, with special featured performer Ron Poster, official organist for the Boston Bruins. The event drew a sizable number of piano enthusiasts, students, educators, and professonal perfomers to East Cambridge Piano’s longtime showroom within The Knights of Malta Hall in the historic Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, MA.
Following 20 or so minutes of hors d’oeuvres and beverages amid spirited conversation, Rich Formidoni, product marketing manager for Casio America, walked guests through a brief visual history of Casio and the brand’s involvement in the design and creation of musical instruments, in particular keyboards, with a focus on the popular Priva line, leading up to a more detailed look at the wildly popular PX-S7000 models. After discussing the PX-S7000’s many innovative features and thoughtful design, Formidoni introduced Ron Poster, one of Boston’s most active performers, who took the PX-S7000 though its paces by performing a number of piano-heavy classic pop and rock hits.
“There’s so much about it that is truly remarkable,” noted Formidoni when discussing the PX-S7000’s unique marriage of aesthetic style with impressive playability and sound. “It’s unlike any other digital piano you’ve ever seen. It’s the kind of thing that could inspire you from across the room… The whole design of the instrument, I find, draws me to it and makes me want to play.”
Poster said, “I’ve actually been playing Privia for about 20 years now… [After] my first Priva, I was like, ‘Huh! I play Casio!'” He cited the instrument’s combination of light weight, high quality, and creative design as what made him a believer. “That portability and that light weight and that sound quality is what converted me. I’ve got one in the trunk of my car right now and I have it with me at all times. I’ve got a couple of them at a few spots where I do gigs… it’s just a great product.”
James Nicoloro, owner of East Cambridge Music, had nothing but enthusiastic praise for Casio, overall, as a brand: “We carry them because we know it’s a good product and we love selling them because it’s got great support, the people at Casio are great, and the service is great. I think the future is great for all of us.”
At the conclusion of the evening, two lucky attendees were named the winners of the night’s giveaway competition’s prizes: a Casio G-Shock watch and a stylish PX-S7000HM keyboard.
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