Bergeron is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, producer and educator known for excelling in both the jazz and classical realms. His jazz chamber ensemble has released two critically-acclaimed albums inspired by the work of Claude Debussy and Olivier Messiaen. His third release, anticipated this spring, features music of Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Liszt, Takemitsu, and original compositions.
(Here, he performs his original piece, “One Querying Wave Will Whitely Yearn,” recorded live at Trinity Wall Street: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymtfWHxAGNU)
In addition to composing and performing with his own ensemble, Bergeron is a member of the Atlantic Brass Quintet, Principal Trumpet with the Springfield Symphony, a frequent Broadway orchestra musician, and an in-demand classical and jazz freelancer. He is an alumnus of Carnegie Hall’s resident Ensemble Connect, and has performed with T-Pain, Vampire Weekend, Gabriel Kahane, The Danish National Symphony Orchestra, The American Symphony, The Temptations, Idina Menzel, Judy Collins, Jon Irabagon, Arlo Guthrie, Ernie Watts, and the Radio City Christmas Orchestra, among others. His network television appearances include Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and CBS This Morning. See his full biography online.
His career is an example of a child’s dreams come true. “Music has always been a strong source of comfort and therapy for me, even as a young child,” says Bergeron. “I was lucky to have a strong music program in the public school that I attended in Western Massachusetts. This is when I first started to imagine a life in music.”
Whether performing or arranging, his inspiration is essentially the same: “Put simply, I gravitate towards music that most directly reaches my soul. Stylistically, I love to work with music that encourages the players to interact with each other through either improvisation or expression (or both),” he says.
He tends toward classical composers Debussy, Messiaen, Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Schumann, and Takemitsu. However, he finds it hard to pin down a favorite, noting “There are so many great composers in the history of music, it’s very difficult to choose a favorite. It’s sort of like choosing a favorite color or food. It depends on the circumstances of the moment.”
Similarly, he doesn’t limit his personal enjoyment of music to one style or genre. His playlist contains a wide variety, including electronic dance music (EDM), hip-hop, salsa, jazz and classical.
Hear for yourself how he brings these many influences together in a chamber-jazz fusion on Sunday, June 11, at 3 Geneva on the Lake. Drinks and hors d’ouerves on the terrace at 3:30 p.m., concert begins at 4 p.m. Tickets are available on the GMF website.