Band and Orchestra
Mike Olsen has worked in the very shop his grandfather established right after World War II to make parts for band instrument makers in and around his hometown of Elkhorn, Wisconsin. At one point, after Mike joined the company full time after high school, three generations were working together. ...
Larry Seaver spent decades designing, engineering and producing parts, instruments and tools for band and orchestras. The key to his success was simple, Larry was an engineer’s engineer! He was always thinking about ways to better a process or improve an instrument. Over his career in the music...
Jerome Perrod was appointed the CEO of the Buffet Group in 2014, an opportunity he was both honored and excited about. Given his background and interest in management and developing processes, Jerome was a great catch for the pioneering company. He graduated from Ecole Polytechnique College with a...
Francois Kloc earned a degree in oboe and bassoon performance at the Beauvais Music Conservatory, which became a foundation for his deep and passionate exploration of these musical instruments. When he joined the Buffet Crampon Company in 1995 he was able to bring his knowledge to the process of...
Chuck Kessler enjoys teaching the craft of instrument repair. He enjoys working on instruments to bring each one to top playing ability and seeing the faces of the musicians when their favorite horn is playing better than ever. As a member of NAPBIRT, Chuck has also worked hard to elevate the...
David Kessler grew up in his father’s band instrument repair shop. David established the store’s Internet site and has played a key role in the connection the store has with each of their customers. What is clear to anyone who sees David in action, talking with customers, is that he is passionate...
Motohichi Harada led the movement that brought the very first marching band to Japan, which took place in 1963. He has since worked for the NHK for over thirty years and formed the Japan Marching Band Directors Association in 1971 and the Japan Marching Band Association the following year. Both...
Toru Hora was classically trained on the piano and attended Juilliard. He joined the Buffet Crampon company in 1964 and both established and served as president of the Buffet Japan branch three years later. Much of his effort in Japan was to establish the brass instruments into the market and to...
Kenji Chiwaki followed in the footsteps of Toru Hora as the president of Buffet Crampon Japan. Hora-san opened the branch in Tokyo in 1967 and helped establish the brand within the Asian market. Kenji joined the company in 1986 and has focused on the three elements he learned from his predecessor...
Nobunari Yanagisawa is the president of the company his father established just before World War II. The company began as a repair shop, which focused on the saxophone. The factory was used for military projects during the war but closed after the war. His father had a difficult time finding raw...