Pianos
Sonja Lynne grew up in her mother’s music studio and found her voice as a singer. Sonja studied opera and can still be heard singing in her church. She had a few jobs, including as a school teacher, before answering an advertisement for Jacobs Music in Philadelphia. She joined the sales team there...
James Harding is very passionate about his role in the music industry and particularly proud of his efforts to foster strong relationships between piano dealers and piano teachers. James has worked for several music stores for which he has learned much about the importance of solid relationships...
Tom Tuson was just 12 years old when he was hired by the Wurlitzer company to demonstrate their organs. As a “Wurlitzer Kid” he played at state fairs and supermarkets to gain the attention of would-be customers. Once he stopped playing, the sales team would walk around the crowd that Tom had...
Melanie Brooks grew up around music! Her grandparents owned a music store and her parents established Brooks LTD Piano Products, which she purchased from them in 2009. Her father created several products to aid piano technicians in their craft, including replacement action parts. She continues to...
Richard Davenport was the winner of the 2022 Golden Hammer Award, the highest honor bestowed on members of the Piano Technician's Guild. The award comes after a long and influential career that has included his own amazing career as a technician and his inspiring seminars and clinics that have...
Kayoko Forrest was born in Japan and always felt drawn to music and in particular the piano. After moving with her mother to the United States, Kayoko played in the school music program. Interestingly, Richard Davenport, who would later become a mentor to Kayoko, was her teacher. While earning her...
Don Mannino has always loved fixing things. He repaired bicycles as a kid and after earning a degree in music became an apprentice at a local music store learning the craft of piano repair. In 1980 he established his own piano shop and worked for local music stories tuning their floor models, which...
Dean Reyburn is the piano technician and software engineer who revolutionized the process of tuning pianos with his CyberTuner program. Dean was trained at Moody College on the art of piano repairs and tuning and went on to work in concert halls for over 15 years and with such manufacturers at...
Fred Sturm takes great pride in speaking about the many developments he has witnessed within the Piano Technician's Guild since he first became a member. The creation and implementation of industry protocols and the increased number and quality of training classes have all gone a long way in...
Joyce Meekins is a pioneering woman piano technician who has sought every opportunity she can find to encourage young women to join the profession. She has served as President of the Washington, DC Chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild three times and in the process helped develop the group into a...