Piano Tech Radio Hour

Always Strive For Better w/ Thomas Zoells And David Graham


Listen Later

In this week's episode, David Graham and Thomas Zoells of PianoForte in Chicago join us. David pays homage to the great Virgil Smith, a renowned piano tuner. The icon of the piano trade still inspires him to this day. Virgil constantly pursued improvement and sought a better way. David would run across people who had studied with Virgil and continued to apply techniques learned for years, only to discover that Virgil's own methods had changed and improved by then. David said of Virgil, "He picked up the tuning hammer, and if he were still alive, he would still be tuning differently."

Our second guest, Thomas, previously spent 20 years in the banking industry. Through his banking experience, Thomas learned how to analyze firms' balance statements and identify potentially dangerous situations. Thomas put this knowledge to use once he had a piano store. In 2004 when the piano market was in decline, it was challenging to sell a piano. At this moment, Thomas was cautious and didn't take on too much debt or inventory, which paid off. The piano business is like any other. You've got to manage overhead and cash flow and pay attention to trends. Tune in to learn from Thomas's savvy perspective.

Here's a little bit about our guests:

Thomas Zoells

Thomas and his wife Darcy founded PianoForte Chicago, Inc. and PianoForte Foundation NFP in 2004. Having grown up in Switzerland and Vienna, he had worked for Ingpen & Williams in London, a classical artist agency, but then had a nearly 20-year career in banking. From being a store with only 4 pianos, all of them by Fazioli, PianoForte has grown into the premier downtown Chicago showroom. PianoForte features the full line of Yamaha pianos, as well as a 100-seat venue and recording studio that has become a focal point for small-scale listening and acoustic music recording and streaming. Visit here: www.pianofortechicago.com


David Graham

His learning as a piano technician began in a class taught by Robert Carbaugh at Moody. It continued when Virgil Smith said, “ I think you can tune well enough to be my apprentice.” The next change of direction came when he was asked: “ Would you like to tune at Lyric Opera of Chicago?” (1982). He’s still there. He began a full-time position at Northern Illinois University in 1983 and continued until recently transitioning to part-time. In 2004 he began working with Pianoforte Chicago on Fazioli and other high-end pianos alongside Thomas Zoells. His current clientele is a mix of private clients and institutions.

𝐉𝐎𝐈𝐍 𝐔𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓❗❗


Browse more masterclasses and lectures from Piano Tuning Pros here: https://www.pianotechniciansmasterclass.com/

Piano Tech Radio Hour is brought to you by Piano Technicians Master. We provide cutting-edge piano technology instruction from piano industry masters without leaving your home, featuring monthly subscriptions, conventions, single live streaming, and recorded masterclasses. Learn advanced skills:

  • How to tune pianos.
  • How to repair pianos.
  • How to rebuild pianos.
  • How to tune concert pianos for the finest performers in the world.


Instagram -Piano Technicians Masterclass (@pianotechmasterclass) 

FB - Piano Technicians Masterclasses | Facebook

Spotify - Piano Tech Radio Hour | Podcast on Spotify

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Piano Tech Radio HourBy Piano Technicians Masterclasses

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

13 ratings


More shows like Piano Tech Radio Hour

View all
CLUBLIFE by Tiësto

CLUBLIFE

6,514 Listeners

Classics For Kids by Naomi Lewin

Classics For Kids

531 Listeners

Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

32,085 Listeners

Classical Music Free by Shiloh worship music

Classical Music Free

196 Listeners

Best Piano Music by Carlos Márquez

Best Piano Music

37 Listeners

Contemporary Piano Music by Tandy Venice

Contemporary Piano Music

34 Listeners

Lofi & Chill Mixtapes 🧑‍💻☺️🧘😴 by Pueblo Vista

Lofi & Chill Mixtapes 🧑‍💻☺️🧘😴

309 Listeners

Sleep - Meandering Piano by Meandering Piano

Sleep - Meandering Piano

244 Listeners

Classical Fix by BBC Radio 3

Classical Fix

60 Listeners

世界著名交响乐全集 by Marilyn_Hathaway

世界著名交响乐全集

7 Listeners

岩彈老歌(Roy Play Piano for old Songs) by Roy Play Piano For Fun

岩彈老歌(Roy Play Piano for old Songs)

8 Listeners

White Noise and Sleep Sounds (12 Hours) by White Noise and Sleep Sounds (12 Hours) to Sleep | Study | Relax | Soothe a Baby

White Noise and Sleep Sounds (12 Hours)

187 Listeners