Instructors - 2006 California State PTG Conference : LA PTG

Dynamic Duos and other Instructors at Double Feature

Chris Robinson, RPT
A piano technician for over 35 years, Chris operates a full service restoration business in Bloomfield, CT. AcoustiCraft, Inc specializes in soundboard replacement and action geometry implementation. An active PTG member, Chris is sought regularly on both regional and national levels for his exceptional technical presentations.

Karen Robinson
Karen has been specializing in grand damper installation and regulation since 1983 when she joined her husband Chris in the piano restoration business. Her outstanding classes on grand dampers have been well received on both the regional and national level.

Dean Reyburn, RPT
Dean Reyburn passed his RPT exam in 1978 and has 27 years tuning experience. He has served on the PTG Examinations and Test Standards Committee since 1996 and acts as Advisor. Dean has 12 years experience as concert tuner for the Grand Rapids Symphony and DeVos Hall in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was technician for the local Steinway and Yamaha dealers for many years and tuned for numerous concert and popular music artists. Dean attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago from 1976 to 1978 where he majored in electronics and learned piano technology from Virgil Smith, RPT and Robert Carbaugh. Dean is a self-taught Software Engineer with 22 years experience programming in five languages and six computer platforms.

Carl Lieberman, RPT
Carl Lieberman, RPT has been a piano technician in Los Angeles since 1972. He learned aural tuning from David Safir and acquired repair, regulation and voicing skills in David's shop at Pianos Wholesale. Carl tuned aurally only until 1979 and has been integrating both aural and electronic tuning since then using the SOT, MOD SOT, SAT AND RCT. He has been a member of the CyberTuner beta testing & developement team and a RCT instructor since the release of version 1.0 in 1996.

Nick Gravagne, RPT
Nick Gravagne has been a prolific writer for the Piano Technicians Journal, as well as a frequent teacher at P.T.G. National and State conventions, and many regional seminars and technicals. A technician since 1973, and an RPT since 1975, much of Nick's business currently revolves around rebuilding and soundboard manufacture for the trade, and is active in concert prep and maintenance of fine grand pianos. Nick has also served as the Technical Service Manager for Kawai America Pianos. His credentials and awards include a BA from William Paterson University, an AST in Mechanical Engineering, and the PTG Member of Note Award.

David Vanderlip, RPT
David has been working as an independent piano technician since 1981. Besides being the staff technician at Pomona College he also owns and operates a rebuilding shop where he restores quality grand pianos. David has been the Chief Technical Examiner for the Southern California Area Exam Board since its inception in 1988.

Joel Rappaport & Priscilla Rappaport, RPT
Master Piano Builders Joel and Priscilla Rappaport have backgrounds that are quite unusual in their field. For over five years they worked in grand piano production in the Bechstein Factory in Berlin and the Bösendorfer factory in Vienna where their activities included all facets of the building, regulation, tuning and voicing of grand pianos. They attended the school for piano builders in Ludwigsburg, Germany and passed the State Examinations for the Master Piano Builders Diploma at the Handwerkskammer in Stuttgart. Their experience has included extensive rebuilding in their own shop, concert services nationwide, positions as university staff technicians, and educational/technical presentations at many conventions and seminars for piano technicians. Both have extensive Steinway training and were profiled in The New York Times by esteemed music critic Harold Schonberg.

Today, Joel and Priscilla Rappaport operate Rappaport's Piano Workshop in Round Rock, Texas, and have rebuilt and serviced numerous grand pianos used in concerts and recordings throughout North America.

Mark Wisner, RPT
A career piano technician since age 17, Mark has accumulated over 33 years of piano service experience. His piano service background includes staff technician for retail piano stores, independent piano technician, and touring with concert artists. Since 1987, Mark has been providing technical representation for piano manufacturers. Currently, Mark is the National Service Manager for Pearl River Piano Group, America.

Dave Campbell, RPT
Dave Campbell is the factory consultant for Pearl River Piano Group in Guangzhou, China. In addition to his own Richmond, VA rebuilding and service business, Dave’s 45-year history in the piano industry includes President and CEO of both Mason & Hamlin and Sohmer. In earlier assignments, Dave was Quality Control Manager for Kimball and Vice President and General Manager for Currier.

Ray Chandler, RPT
Ray obtained a degree in music, completed technical apprenticeships in England and at Steinway & Sons, and was an independent concert technician and rebuilder. He has been an independent piano dealer in Austin, Texas and held technical and marketing positions in the wholesale piano industry. Today he is a Technical Consultant and marketing director for Bösendorfer.

Ed Whitting, RPT
Ed graduated from Sims School of Piano Technology and has more than thirty years as an independent piano technician. He worked for Yamaha as a Piano Service Consultant and at Kawai as assistant Technical Manager. In 1979, he was selected as Principal Piano Technician for the Los Angeles Philharmonic serving both the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and Hollywood Bowl. In 1987 he became National Director of Technical Services for Young Chang America. For more than three decades, Ed has taught classes at PTG chapter meetings and state and national technical institutes.

Wally Brooks, RPT
A Connecticut Chapter PTG member for over 40 years, Wally has extensive experience running a complete rebuilding shop including soundboard, pinblock, and action replacement and case finishing. He has taught at more than 25 national conventions and innumerable regional seminars and technicals. Together, with wife Vivian and daughter Melanie, Wally has owned a high quality hammer, action and rebuilding supplies business for a quarter of a century.

Melanie Brooks
Melanie is a third generation PTG member who grew up in her father's rebuilding shop. After obtaining a degree in Economics/Business and working in the corporate world for 8 years, she returned to Brooks, Ltd., a family owned piano parts business, where she has concentrated on marketing and technical services since 1995.

Webb Phillips, RPT
Webb’s background is in industrial woodworking. He ran some of the largest high-end cabinet shops in Pennsylvania and Vermont in the 1950s. He then went into the piano industry, starting Allied Piano in 1970. He is known for his all-day seminars in refinishing and his knowledge of wood behavior. Webb is in PTG’s Hall of Fame.

Ruth Phillips, RPT
Ruth joined Allied Piano in 1979. Factory-trained in the Konig touch-up and repair products, she presents all-day seminars to the piano and furniture industries. Prior to specializing in her current work, Ruth spent many years in piano field service, working on more than 30 pianos weekly.

Bill Brandom, RPT
Bill Brandom, Yamaha’s Senior Technical Manager, has worked there more than 25 years and has overseen development of Disklavier service in the United States. He works with Disklavier design engineers in Japan regularly. Bill has complete understanding of the various Disklavier systems and has been teaching Disklavier servicing to technicians throughout the United States since 1987.

Fredy Atcheson – Disklavier Service Specialist
Fredy has worked for Yamaha for over 20 years. For most of those years he worked with the Electronics Service Division providing service for Disklavier Pianos, professional electronic keyboards, digital signal processors and recording digital mixers. Fredy’s electronic knowledge has made it possible for him to troubleshoot electronic problems down to the component level. Fredy has taught many technical seminars and is truly an expert with Yamaha Disklavier and MIDIPiano products.

Kathy Smith, RPT
Before coming to California in 1984, Kathy’s experience included the 4-year Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Technology at Michigan State University. She has been active in the Los Angeles Chapter and as a “charter member” of the Southern California Area Exam Board. Kathy is a CTE, and has been supervising both technical and tuning exams for seven Guild chapters.

Bruce Stevens, RPT
Bruce began his career in 1978 as an apprentice with Ben Hershberger at Morey’s Music Store in Long Beach. In 1983 he joined the Los Angeles Unified School District as a staff piano technician. In 1998, he left the School District to business. His workload includes extensive re-building and providing comprehensive piano service for private clients. Bruce is involved in operation of the California State Conference Board as well as his local chapter.

Jeff Stevens, RPT
Jeff is one of the latest graduates from the University of Western Ontario piano tuning and repair course. A month after graduating last April, he passed the PTG examinations and became an RPT. Jeff seems to be on the fast track to success as a second-generation piano technician with the opportunity to work with his Dad in the shop as well as keeping a full tuning schedule.

Don Mannino, RPT
While completing piano performance studies at San Diego State in 1979, Don apprenticed with a piano rebuilder. As an independent piano technician in the San Diego area Don divided his business between normal tuning, concert piano preparation, rebuilding, and providing warranty work for dealers and manufacturers. He held the position of National Service Manager for Young Chang Pianos from 1990 - 1995, then was Manager of Technical Support for Kawai Pianos in the US and Canada, and now serves as the Director of Technical Training for Kawai and Shigeru Kawai Pianos. Don and his wife Patty are the editors of the Southern California Combined PTG newsletter. He teaches regularly at regional technician seminars, PTG Annual conventions, and at PTG chapter meetings. He has prepared articles on a variety of technical topics for the Piano Technicians Journal.

Takanori (Terry) Otake, MPA
Takanori Otake, of Nagoya, Japan, is a graduate of the Kawai technical Academy in Japan, and is one of Kawai’s elite MPAs (Master Piano Artisan) who build the Shigeru Kawai pianos in Japan. Having refined his talents in the US, Germany and Italy, Mr. Otake has served as Artist Technician at many of the most prestigious international competitions and has serviced pianos in some of the world's finest concert halls through Kawai’s concert division. He brings a wealth of experience and passion to his craft.

Terry is on assignment to Kawai America serving as the Senior Technician for Shigeru Kawai pianos in North America.

Kent Webb
Kent Webb is the Manager of Service Administration for Steinway and Sons. In this position, Kent directs the warranty and service of Steinway, Boston, and Essex pianos for North and South America. He also oversees the Parts Department operation, the Retail Service Department, and other service related duties in the Customer Service Division. Kent has been involved in the piano industry for over 25 years as a concert technician and rebuilder. He served as technical columnist for the Soundboard, a publication for music educators.

Eric Schandall, RPT
Eric Schandall, RPT is the administrator Technical Training and Education for Steinway & Sons, New York. In this position Eric is the instructor and head of the CF Theodore Steinway Technical Academy, a training program offered by Steinway & Sons for piano technicians working with Steinway pianos. He is also on the roster of concert technicians at Steinway Hall in New York City. Eric has also worked as a University Technician for 26 years, beginning his training in 1967 at the North Bennett Street School in Boston.

Dave Carpenter, RPT
Dave Carpenter is lead designer of the Verituner product line. Dave's background includes an engineering degree with more than 15 years of experience in electronics and software design. He is an RPT member of the Chicago Chapter with a neighborhood piano service business.

Dr. Al Sanderson, RPT
Dr. Sanderson holds a Ph.D. degree in Applied Physics from Harvard. He applied his knowledge of physics to pianos and tuning. He made many discoveries about piano tuning enabling him to patent the procedure of measuring inharmonicity and create a piano tuning. In 1982, the "Sanderson Accu-Tuner" was designed and has been manufactured by Inventronics ever since. Al has received many PTG awards including Member of Note, Hall of Fame, and the Golden Hammer.

Paul Sanderson
Paul is the President of Inventronics, Inc. He has been involved with development and production of the Sanderson Accu-Tuner since its inception in 1982. He is responsible for the Accu-Tuner from development to production to distribution. He oversees all phases with a goal that the SAT be the finest electronic tuning aid in the industry.

Sue Babcock, RPT
Sue Babcock started working with pianos in 1979 at Yamaha. Her job was taking parts orders from techs all over the country. In 1985, after studying with Francis Mehaffey, she left Yamaha to start her own tuning business. Sue now tunes for various universities, concert venues and private clients. She has been involved with the Orange County Chapter of PTG, serving in many positions, and with the Southern California Area Exam Board.

Lisa Weller, RPT
Lisa is a native Southern Californian who in 9th grade decided that piano tuning was neat. She still thinks so and has been in business since 1983. Lisa attended the Piano Technology and Instrument repair classes offered at Orange Coast College, served a four- year apprenticeship, learned a lot more from many local technicians and through PTG. "Of course," she says, "You never stop learning".

Peg Browne, RPT
A member of PTG for 28 years, Peg has been involved in every aspect of the piano technical business -- field and concert tuning as well as major piano rebuilding. In addition, Peg works with Nick Gravagne in the manufacture of new soundboards. She is a graduate of the Yamaha Little Red School House, as well as the Yamaha Concert Artist Class, and routinely services Yamaha Disklavier pianos. Peg has taught at several State and National conventions with emphasis on piano prep and applied skills.

Randy Potter, RPT
Randy is the founder and director of the Randy Potter School of Piano Technology. He has authored three books as well as developed a large number or training materials and written many articles for the Journal. Randy has been extremely active with PTG on the local, national and international levels and has served on many national committees. Randy is a seasoned instructor at all levels of our organization and has taught in Europe and in Asia.

Richard Davenport, RPT
Richard became a Craftsman member of P.T.G. in 1976. As a technical service consultant with Yamaha for 24 years, he received advanced training at Yamaha's exclusive concert grand factory in Hamamatsu, Japan. He has maintained the pianos at 20th Century Fox since 1980. His workload includes extensive rebuilding, concert and recording work. Richard regularly teaches chapter seminars, state and national convention classes. His sparkling personality and powerful presentations keep everyone coming back for more.

Pamella Consoli, RPT
Pamella studied piano technology under the tutelage of Frances Mehaffey and LaRoy Edwards in 1978-79 and has been a technician in the Pomona Valley area since 1980. She was president of the Pomona Valley Chapter twice. She has been a Happy Merry Worker in Richard Davenport’s shop since 1996.

Kayoko Forrest, RPT
Kayoko joined David L. Abell, fine pianos in 1978 while working on her Bachelor’s Degree in Music. While at the store, she became reacquainted with one of her junior high school music teachers, Richard Davenport. Eventually, she joined PTG and became a Happy Merry Worker in Richard’s shop in 1993. She became an RPT in 1999 and has been Vice-President of the L.A. Chapter ever since. She serves this year’s conference as Institute Director.

Mark Stern, RPT
Mark Stern is degreed in mechanical engineering and survived 38-years in the aerospace field. Following retirement in November 1989, he studied tuning, apprenticed himself to Richard Davenport and embarked upon a career as a piano technician which has covered the past sixteen years. He has lectured at conventions and at chapter meetings on technical elements of the piano action and has written articles for the PTG Journal. He is a Charter Member of the Merry workers.

Alan Eder, RPT
Alan has been a Registered Piano Technician for nearly three decades. He has taught at National Conventions, published a comprehensive review of Larry Fine’s “The Piano Book” in the Piano Technicians Journal, serviced pianos on three continents and has been the staff piano technician at California Institute of the Arts for over twenty years. At Cal Arts, he produced the video “Non-traditional Piano Use,” which is widely used at major music schools and conservatories. Alan is one of the Happy Merry Workers when available.

Rick Baldassin, RPT
Rick is the Senior Teaching and Technical Consultant for Renner and the Concert Technician for the Utah Symphony. He served as Tuning Editor of the Piano Technicians Journal and authored the book On Pitch. Rick has been trained in the concert and artist programs of Fazioli, Steinway, and Yamaha. He has been a technical consultant for Falcone, Mason & Hamlin, Schimmel and Pramberger, and is the Technical Support Director for Fazioli. Rick has received the Member of Note and Hall of Fame awards, and has been a popular instructor throughout North America, Europe and Australia.

Carl Teel, RPT
Carl has been working on pianos in excess of 30 years, operating a repair and restoration shop in North Salt Lake, Utah. He has been a member of PTG since 1976, and has served continuously as Treasurer of the Salt Lake Chapter since 1979. Carl was instrumental in running the Utah Intermountain Seminar for a number of years, and is a popular instructor at local, regional and national conventions, and is a consultant to piano technicians throughout Utah.

Bill Spurlock
Bill’s background includes wood and metal working, mechanics, and a BS degree in mechanical engineering. He has been a piano technician since 1977, and has authored over 70 PT Journal articles, including the PACE series on Vertical Regulation, Grand Regulation, and Field Repairs. He also operates Spurlock Specialty Tools, manufacturing uniquely useful tools for piano technicians.

Norm Neblett, RPT
A Piano Technicians Guild charter member, Norman is a recipient of the Member of Note, Hall of Fame, and Golden Hammer awards. Norm also received a Presidential Citation for chairing the team that created the PTG Technical Exam. His work experience encompasses the concert stage, universities, recording and motion picture studios, and major piano restorations. Norm has been a frequent Annual Convention Instructor, as well as having been a manufacturer’s technical consultant during his 50 year career.

LaRoy Edwards, RPT
LaRoy Edwards is one of the founding members of PTG. He has been teaching classes for PTG, on behalf of Yamaha, in excess of 40 years. In the early 1970s, LaRoy developed the Yamaha Little Red Schoolhouse program for piano technicians. LaRoy is considered by many technicians to be one of the best instructors in the piano industry.

Shinya Matsumoto
Shinya Matsumoto has worked for Yamaha Corporation for more than 18 years and is Technical Planning Manager in the U.S. He has served as an instructor at the Yamaha Piano Technical Academy for more than 5 years. In October, 2004 Shinya was transferred to the United States. He is a concert level technician with excellent teaching skills.

David Reed, RPT
David Reed has worked as head technician for Yamaha dealers in the Dallas, Texas metro area for 16 years. David has received the highest level of training at Yamaha’s Piano Technical Academy in Japan and worked as a consultant for Yamaha for several years. He is an RPT and has delivered many technical programs. David joined Yamaha Piano Service in January, 2005 as Piano Service Manager.

Phil Glenn, RPT
After more than 15 years in corporate service, first with Yamaha and then Young Chang, Phil has recently settled in as the Service Division Manager and Director of Customer Care at Samick Music Corporation in City of Industry, CA. SMC is the North American Distributor for Samick and Bechstein products which includes Knabe, Kohler & Campbell, Pramberger, Sohmer and others as well as guitars, band instruments and digital keyboards. Phil is on a design team developing the new generation of Pramberger brand pianos for SMC.

Paul Monachino
Paul started with Mason & Hamlin 50 years ago when many of their craftsmen from the Company’s early days were still working. He quickly gained their trust and support. Paul moved up quickly through the factory ranks, while developing a passion for the Mason & Hamlin Piano. Today the M&H is again being produced and Paul is there helping to assure that the great tradition of this fine instrument endures.

André Bolduc, RPT
André Bolduc has been well known as a master craftsman of wood and a skilled rebuilder for the last 25 years. André is also a manufacturer of renowned high brand maple pinblocks and premium eastern spruce soundboards. He supplies other materials for rebuilders. André is an excellent instructor; you will learn many new and useful skills in his class.

Jurgen Goering
In the early 1980s, Jurgen Goering served a three and one-half year apprenticeship under a master craftsman in Germany. In 1984 he passed state exams to become a journeyman piano maker. He augmented his tuning /repair business by starting PIANO FORTE SUPPLY, which specializes in supplying high quality European tools and materials to North American piano technicians.

Bob Marinelli, RPT
Robert Marinelli, founder and president of Pianotek Supply Co., has been an RPT since 1976. He began his technical career working in a cabinet shop with Henry Ford’s personal cabinetmaker. Bob owned and operated a piano rebuilding shop in the Detroit area for seven years. At Pianotek he has been involved with new product development and manufacturing replacement keyboards for the trade. He has taught at many regional and national conferences.

David Rubenstein
David Rubenstein was born in 1956, and grew up in Lexington, MA. He dropped out of high school at the age of 17 to play the drums professionally. He had a formal apprenticeship in ceramics and later started his own pottery, and for 20 years made wood fired, salt glazed pottery, wood and metal furniture, and abstract and representational drawings and paintings. His work is in the collection of Contemporary American Ceramics at the Museum of Fine Arts, in Boston, MA. He currently resides in the Los Angeles area.

Paul Van Ness
Paul is an Artist and Institutional Sales Representative for the Mason & Hamlin Piano Company. As a professor of piano for more than thirty years, Van Ness has performed internationally and recorded a series of concertos for the "Music Minus One" label.

Joe Swenson
Joe is currently Manager of Technical Services at Services at Geneva Corporation. He has worked as a consultant including voicing and regulating procedures for factories in Europe and China. In his 25 years as a piano technician, Joe has had experience in all aspects of dealer-related service/warranty issues. Most recently, Joe authored the course material for Geneva International’s WorkSmart Technicians’ Training Seminar – a week long, comprehensive program that covers all aspects of piano service.

Mark Burgett
A piano technician since 1981, Mark currently works at the PianoDisc factory with engineering in new product development. He teaches PianoDisc system installation to individuals as well as to piano manufacturers. He is also responsible for Mason & Hamlin technical support.

Roger Jolly
Roger has been involved in the piano business for over 30 years. He is a successful retailer and owner of two stores, selling a full range of piano products. As a piano technician, he operates a full rebuilding facility and looks after performance pianos for two orchestras and the University of Saskatchewan. Roger is currently engaged as a technical consultant with the Samick Music Corp. working to improve the quality and design of existing products.