From the summer of 2023 through the spring of 2025 I spent nearly half of my time traveling for work. This has included periods of itinerant piano and harpsichord rebuilding for as long as one month at a time, as well as shorter stints as little as a few hours working with various shops and technicians across the United States.

Mosaic Piano Service and Inside Pianos - Greensboro, NC

Here’s a trio of short videos showing some details of my time at a small rebuilding shop in North Carolina in the winter of 2024. The main focus of that particular month was getting the shop set up to be functional, organized, and safe, and providing training for basic business function and ‘shop hygiene’. Once that was sorted I went to work replacing a pinblock and soundboard in a vintage piano.

Erwin’s Piano Restoration - Modesto, CA

I spent one month in the Fall of 2024 at Erwin’s Piano Restoration Inc. I worked with the whole team there, but primarily worked alongside Dennis. Dennis and I were at North Bennet Street School together c.2007 as students and it was a blast to get to spend time with him again! He is one of the great woodworkers in this trade. I learned a lot and had a great time, and with his blessings I knocked out a board and a block for them between taking dips in their pool!

Here’s a video about all the animals they’ve got over there.

Callahan Piano - Alameda, CA

During my time as a traveling piano rebuilder I have spent time on more than one occasion at Callahan Piano. The most recent was in spring of 2025. This is always a treat because the shop is top notch, the people there are too. They put me to work with work that is both challenging and comfortable, and this time I set them up with some new-to-them tools, fixtures, and skills before they set me loose on a damper action. I grew up in the area, so it’s also an added perk to get to go ‘home’ and spend time with some of my favorite knuckleheads.