Steve Halpern is an esteemed docent volunteer at NAMM’s Museum of Making Music, which provides an opportunity for him to blend his love of music with his background as an educator. As a y...

Jim Shaw formed his own country band in Fresno, earning a nice living when he heard Buck Owens opened a recording studio down the road in Bakersfield. Jim thought he could go down and mak...

Bob McNabb is a well-known and respected piano technician in Bakersfield, California, who began his training in 1973. He enjoyed the role of piano tech for the Civic Center for over 20 ye...

Melissa Mandeville and her husband, Scott, own Tim’s Music, which is located in Carmichael, California, near Sacramento. The couple are strong advocates for music education and work to se...

Ed Tomlinson is the CEO of California Keyboards Music Center in Bakersfield and a well-regarded piano technician and trainer. After touring the world as part of a Contemporary Christian g...

Victoria Theodore has had some marvelous musical experiences both as a musician and teacher. Her first big gig was a seven-year stint touring with Stevie Wonder in his band. Being classic...

Christoph Bull is the organ professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His deep passion for music stems from his grandmother’s piano and his early days playing organ i...

Joe Goodman began playing gigs around the Los Angeles area since he was very young with his primary instruments being the piano and trumpet. With a Marching Band scholarship for college i...

Stevan Micheo is the founder of Micheo Music, which has four locations in Puerto Rico. His passion for music runs deep and can be traced back to his mother who was a musician who instille...

Jeff Jacobs grew up in Chicago and remembers going to Gand Music to buy his first very own instrument, although his parents had an upright piano in their home. Jeff’s purchase was the eve...

Bud Roberds was two months shy of his 103rd birthday when he was interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program about his life in music. His father was an avid musician, always bringing in...

Michael Feisthammel is a lifelong history teacher who has a passion for the construction and design of pianos. He acquired a Chicago-made Conover '77 grand almost 20 years ago. The high q...

Bobbi Paul is the Co-Founder of Piano Trends Music Company in Crystal Lake, Illinois. Bobbi and her husband opened the music store in 1990 and have been proud to see it grow into an impor...

Fritz Tasch was born in Kecskemét, Hungary and apprenticed in a violin making school in Mittenwald, Germany. He learned the trade of first building violins, violas, cellos and other histo...

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 ...

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 attentio...

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 scho...

Joyce Meekins is a pioneering woman piano technician who has sought every opportunity she can find to encourage young women to join the profession. In 1975 she entered a four-year apprent...

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 pia...

Don Mannino has always loved fixing things, his first job as a teenager was as a bicycle mechanic. After studying at San Diego State University as a piano performance major he became an a...

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 ...

Norman Cantrell attended the University of Oklahoma City where he earned his degree in music education. He soon realized his passion was not in teaching but rather in piano repair and tun...

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 o...

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. ...

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 caree...

Shawn Bruce played piano and guitar as a teenager, not knowing at the time he would have a 20-plus-year career with the Piano Technicians Guild! With a background as a newspaper reporter ...

Isaac Sadigursky credited much of his understanding and passion for music to the school he attended in his native Russia. He began attending music school at the age of five and developed ...

Delwin Fandrich, as a teenager, often spent time with his older brother Darrell, who was a piano technician. Delwin slowly developed his own skills with the trade and focused on learning ...

Carl Lieberman has a fascinating career as a piano technician. Not only does Carl tune and maintain the pianos for recording studios in Southern California, for over 50 years he has provi...

Kathy Maxwell answered an ad in the newspaper for an opening at the main office for the Piano Technicians Guild in 2000. The Kansas City, Missouri-based association was seeking help with ...

Steve Shelokhonov was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and was classically trained on the piano. As a teenager and young adult, Steve played in underground rock clubs in Russia before mo...

Leng Tshua has played an important role in the piano industry both in the United States and his home country, Singapore. His passion for music began when he was inspired by his aunt playi...