Scott Andrews – Kingston, NY
Scott Andrews is the owner and Lead Technician of New York Piano Works, the premier piano service company of New York’s Hudson Valley.
In his fifteen years as a piano technician, he has tuned for award-winning studios, quite a few minor rock stars, and lots of people whose grandmother was a concert pianist (and had the Wurlitzer spinet to prove it).
When not caring for pianos, Scott maintains an active second career as a singer, pianist, and conductor in an around New York City.
Seymour Apregilio – New York City, NY
Seymour Apregilio is an early keyboard and modern piano technician based in New York City. She is in demand as a concert technician for many of the early and period music concerts in New York and beyond.
Currently at The Juilliard School, Seymour oversees the school’s catalog of historical keyboards while maintaining a territory of modern pianos.
Seymour spends her free time learning from early and modern technicians, builders, and extant antique keyboards in various collections.
Christian Bolduc – Quebec, Canada
Christian Bolduc is a technician/bellyman specializing in soundboards and pinblocks.
Following his studies at Ecole du Meuble de Victoriaville to become a fine cabinet and furniture maker, he spent a full year at the Schimmel factory in Braunschweig, Germany studying piano structure and design.
His combined understanding of wood and design has made him an expert in his niche. He is a constant searcher for new ideas and methods to make your rebuilding projects easier. Christian is the president and owner of Pianos Bolduc.
Melanie Brooks – Uncasville, CT
Melanie Brooks is the owner of Brooks LTD and a third-generation PTG member. Raised in her parents’ rebuilding shop, she combined her lifelong technical exposure with a decade of international corporate experience in Economics and Business before taking over the family company in 2009.
Melanie has served the Guild in numerous capacities, including Institute Director and President of the PTG Foundation Board, and is a recipient of the Crowl-Travis Member of Note Award.
Her leadership is defined by a commitment to providing technicians with specialized, innovative products and personalized, honest service. Outside of the industry, Melanie is an avid sailor, kayaker, and hiker. Connect with Brooks LTD: www.brooksltdonline.com
Ben Cross, RPT – Astoria, NY
Ben Cross is a New York City-based piano technician, builder, and teacher who specializes in concert-level service and creating new tools for the trade. As a Registered Piano Technician (RPT), Ben currently works as a concert tech at Faust Harrison Pianos, where he keeps high-end instruments in top shape for the city’s busy music scene.
Ben’s journey started in South Florida, where he studied Music Technology at Florida Atlantic University. He then moved to Boston to dive deep into the craft at the North Bennet Street School. From there, he went on to work at Steinway & Sons as a piano builder on the production line, getting a firsthand look at how these instruments are built from the ground up.
Ben has also spent two seasons as a technician for the Aspen Music Festival, handling instrument prep in a fast-paced festival environment. Today, his work covers a little bit of everything:
• Concert Service: Fine-tuning and voicing pianos for professional performers.
• Building: Using his background in manufacturing to understand every part of the piano.
• Invention: Designing and making custom tools to solve tricky technical problems.
• Teaching: Passing on what he’s learned to other technicians in the classroom.
When he’s not working on a piano, Ben loves getting away from the workbench to spend time in the mountains or out on the ocean.
Josi Davis – Uncasville, CT
Josi Davis is the General Manager of Brooks LTD and a 20-year veteran of the piano industry. A second-generation technician, she was introduced to the craft by her father, Bill Davis, RPT. Her career reached a pivotal moment at the 2009 PTG Annual Convention when an encounter with the Brooks family transformed her “back-up plan” as a songwriter into a dedicated professional journey.
Under the mentorship of Melanie Brooks and John Gallen, Josi became an expert in hammer replacement and now leads Brooks LTD operations with a unique blend of passion and precision. An avid educator, she teaches hammer replacement methods nationwide while maintaining her career as a performing artist. Explore: www.josidavis.com/music Connect: www.brooksltdonline.com
Debi Gould – Hendersonville, NC
Debi Gould, with over a decade at Dampp-Chaser Corporation, is a seasoned expert on the Piano Life Saver System.
Throughout her career, Debi has been a dedicated provider of technical support to piano technicians and piano owners.
Debi’s class on the Piano Life Saver System promises to be an enlightening session that draws upon her extensive knowledge and dedication to the industry.
Marta Hansen – Sun Prairie, WI
Marta Hansen, a Sun Prairie native, is the owner/technician of The Piano Gal Shop. She has been servicing pianos in South Central Wisconsin for almost 15 years. Marta has a Music Education Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her first career was as a middle school and elementary school Choir Director.
She made a career pivot later in life and learned the craft of piano technology, which she fell in love with and has been doing since around 2011. She officially opened The Piano Gal Shop in 2013. She is passionate about music and pianos and shares that passion with the community.
She’s known for high quality work, excellent customer service, and a fun and unique social media presence. Her niche is her unique custom painted and refurbished pianos, as well as her upcycled pianos and custom work that she’s done for clients all over the country.
Ian Hayden – Belleville, IL
Bio Coming Soon
Ricki Klos, RPT – Fort Worth, TX
Ricki has been around piano technology since the age of 15; she’s been in the Guild for 30 years.
She currently holds the office of Vice President of PTG; she enjoys putting on conferences just like this one, and giving Tuning Exams, both here and abroad.
She is active in her Fort Worth, TX chapter; she loves making piano technician friends, and encouraging minorities in the field and chapter leadership!
Garik Pedersen – Chesterfield, MO
Dr. Garik Pedersen first heard about the O.D.G.I. “Victory Vertical” pianos during an impromptu interview with Henry Z. Steinway in his office at Steinway Hall in New York City a few months before Mr. Steinway’s death in 2008. Since then he has become increasingly fascinated with this incredible story. Pedersen, a Steinway Artist, has performed as soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and in Europe, Asia, Canada, and Central America. He has presented programs for the U.S. State Department, the National Federation of Music Clubs, Music Teachers National Association, the European Piano Teachers Association, Canadian Federation of Music Teachers Associations, the Royal Conservatory of Music, and on numerous public television and radio broadcasts. Professor Emeritus of piano at Eastern Michigan University, Dr. Pedersen has taught undergraduate and graduate students from many U.S. states and 19 other countries, producing prizewinners in national and international—as well as numerous regional and state–competitions.
A student of Wesley True at the University of Central Missouri, which awarded him its Distinguished Alumnus in Music in 2010, he was the final DMA piano student of John Simms at the University of Iowa, graduating in 1986. Gary is a past president of Michigan Music Teachers Association, which honored him with its Distinguished Service Award in 2016. He received the Michigan Touchstone Award in 2017 in recognition of his “commitment to Michigan’s artistic excellence and his advocacy for the arts.” He is listed in the 2018 edition of Who’s Who in Fine Arts Higher Education. The Victory Vertical Project was recognized by the Music Teachers National Conference in 2021 for its outstanding scholarship and contribution to music teaching. In 2024 Pedersen was featured in a FoxTV documentary on The Victory Vertical Project.
Malinda Powell, RPT – Elko New Market, MN
Malinda joined PTG in 1989 and received her RPT in 1991.
She studied piano technology at the University of Wisconsin River Falls under the direction of Michael Drost, RPT.
She serviced pianos in Minneapolis, St Paul, and the southern suburbs for 35 years with a client base of 750.
She formerly had two college accounts, St. Catherines College and Macalester College and assisted in tuning at The Ordway Center for the Arts. She is now retired but stays involoved in PTG on a local, regional, and national level.
She was on the National Institute Team for 5 years, being director in 2007. She served as Regional Vice President on the National Board of Directors for 5 years. She was a delegate to council many times and has served on many national committees. She was the MRCO director for 3 conferences. She was a former Twin Cities Chapter President and served on every committee. She has taught classes on the local, regional, and national levels.
Malinda is a former recipient of the PTG Member of Note Award
Ben Rocke, RPT, MPT – West Rutland, VT
Ben Rocke, RPT, MPT, leads Little Valley Piano Service, LLC in West Rutland, VT and Grandwork Tools and Training, where he combines traditional craftsmanship with practical innovation in piano rebuilding and maintenance. As owner and head technician, he provides comprehensive piano services from rebuilding work to concert preparation for theaters, universities, and music festivals throughout the region. His expertise began with the Randi Potter course and expanded through voracious pursuit of every available educational opportunity—from extensive reading to factory training in action rebuilding at Mason & Hamlin and regulating and voicing at Steinway & Sons, active participation in the Piano Technicians Guild, and close mentorship relationships with accomplished piano technicians both active and retired. A committed educator in the field, Ben has shared his knowledge at national, regional, and chapter levels. He continues to advance the craft through both tool and method innovations for workshop and field applications.
Ashley Turner, RPT – Vienna, VA
Ashley Turner, RPT, lives and works in Northern Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC. After a fulfilling 15-year career in mental health, she transitioned in 2004 to her second “listening profession”: piano technology.
Since then, she has enthusiastically operated her own independent piano service business, wearing many hats as a small business owner.
She also has volunteered in numerous capacities with the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG), her favorite professional organization.
Lucy Urlacher, RPT – Columbia, MO
Lucy Urlacher earned a degree in Music Education at St. Mary College, Leavenworth, KS.
As a teacher she kept encountering horribly out of tune classroom pianos. This problem led her to purchase basic tuning equipment and to check out books on “How to Tune.”
Soon she became an “apprentice” of Ernie Preuitt, and shortly thereafter become an RPT. For 27 years Lucy built a successful tuning business in the Kansas City area.
In July 2008 she joined the staff of the School of Music at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She enjoys the challenges and opportunities of being a university piano technician.