Brooklands Pianos was established in 1986 in St. Albans by Kevin Brice who has now been a professional piano tuner and repairer for over 45 years. He has been a member of the Pianoforte Tuners’ Association for over 30 years and has served on its executive council for two separate periods. He trained as an apprentice with H.G. Rogers and Son in Highgate under the guidance of the late Henry Rogers, his son Graham and the workshop manager Karl Elmendorf, who has also sadly passed on.
He has tuned, repaired and restored a vast amount of pianos in private homes, schools, music colleges, recitals and concerts over the years and has benefited from ongoing high quality training at Pianoforte Tuners’ Association Conventions as well as also lecturing in classes at these annual events. He has also visited piano factories to gain insights into manufacturing processes both in this country and abroad, namely Kemble, Milton Keynes (now sadly closed), Fazioli in Sacile, Italy, and Stuart & Sons in Newcastle, Australia.
Although Brooklands Pianos do not directly employ our other two tuners they both have been closely involved with Kevin and the company for many years. We all still go out tuning together when there are multiple pianos at the same venue.
Kevin’s son Ralph joined Brooklands Pianos as an apprentice on a permanent basis in the Summer 2005. He is currently working part time at Kawai Pianos in Milton Keynes doing final preparation work and tuning on their pianos. Then he’s mostly out and about tuning in private homes, but comes in to Brooklands Pianos workshop from time to time and assists his dad when necessary. He has been full time for about fourteen years now and has successfully built up his own tuning round clientèle. |