My first encounter with musical instruments particularly pianos goes back to the time I was about eight or nine years old. It was an old upright player piano I'm sure most of you know the type. Of course many keys did not work as well as the player mechanism. This was just the type of challenge my eager young mind desired. Well the bottom line is I ripped the thing apart got the keys all working and fixed the player works also. Unfortunately not all members of the family appreciated my efforts. So before long the piano ended up out on the street. And so began my lifelong affair with the piano.
Of course the standard regiment of schooling was also required, which I attended not always eagerly. In any event I got through grammar school, graduated from the high school of Art and Design and attended the school of Visual Arts majoring in fine arts.
From my earliest youth drawing has occupied a central part in my life. The concepts of perspective and shadow in particular fascinated me. The paintings shown on this page which date from five to 25 years ago were all executed by me. (It saves me a lot on home decorating.)
While in my twenties I became reacquainted with the piano and managed to rebuild 2 small grand pianos. It wasn't until around my 40th year that I really developed an interest in the harpsichord. Since at that time I was unable to afford even a kit instrument I was forced to build one from scratch. Armed with Frank Hubbard's milestone book "Three centuries of Harpsichord making" and having visited a few workshops I launched into it. It was an Italian harpsichord and to my utter amazement it worked. The local newspaper found out about it (thanks to my friend working there) and did an article on me. Shortly after a local historical site decided they would like the instrument for their Christmas concert. Unfortunately the combination of dry heat from the old fireplace during the day and the cold damp nights were too much for it.
Since that first instrument I have learned a great deal from as many sources as possible. Museums, books, workshops, other builders, making mistakes, etc. Now I am happy to say my instruments do not fall apart. As a matter of fact after recently exhibiting at the Boston Early Music Festival I received many compliments from fellow builders and the public alike.
That about sums things up for the present. As for the future you may see projects I have lined up by going to the UPCOMING page. Thank you for your interest and I hope reading about how I got started in this business was of interest to you. Of course I welcome any comments and suggestions you may have (too long, too boring, delete this page, etc.)
Thank you.
