Background

Tom has a degree in piano performance from DePaul University and studied with the world renowned teacher, Mary Sauer, pianist with the Chicago Symphony. Tom and his wife Linda managed to escape to the northland in 1989. Linda has a degree in music therapy and has played professionally with a big band for many years. She is now retired and is involved with two animal rescue groups, Playing Again Sams (Samoyed rescue) and the Beagle Freedom Project.

Tom learned to tune pianos entirely by ear, without the use of electronic devices. Only a handful of tuners in the country tune by ear now. He learned the specific method created by Virgil Smith, the premier Chicago tuner fifty years ago. A large part of Tom's apprenticeship in tuning focused on "pin setting". A string can be "set" to hold pitch under a heavy blow. This takes a great deal of strength and experience. Without pin setting even a medium blow would knock a note out of tune.