Arpad has been working as a piano technician, piano tuner and restorer since 1988. Because of his more than two decades of experience working with pianos he is among the best piano technicians of New York City. During these twenty-some years he has always been working with the best quality piano parts available in the world, including Hamburg Steinway and some other special Renner parts.
Since 1988 he has completely rebuilt hundreds of Steinway pianos (both New York and Hamburg Steinway instruments) of all vintages and sizes, as well as a large number of Bösendorfers and Bechsteins. He has also done partial or complete rebuilding of a number of pianos by other makers like Gaveau, Pleyel, Erard, Blüthner, Förster, Grotrian-Steinweg, Ibach, Petrof, Mason & Hamlin, Knabe, Baldwin, Yamaha, Kawai, all Samick and Young Chang brands, among others.
Many of these pianos became concert instruments for music schools or smaller concert halls in Europe and in the U.S.
Besides rebuilding – working on the action-part of the rebuilding process – Arpad’s special areas of expertise are piano tuning, concert preparation, concert tuning and maintenance, tone regulation.
As Head Technician, managing major workshops, and as Instructor, training piano technicians, piano tuners and piano rebuilders has also been an important part of his professional activity.
Studied in Budapest, Hungary, in the traditional master-apprentice way, he attended the Musical Instrument Maker School, located now at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest. He also studied violin making with László Nemessányi – who is the descendant of the famous Sámuel Nemessányi and the pupil of Pál Sáránszky – for two years.
Between 1991 and 1999 Arpad was the Owner and the Head Technician of the piano workshop of the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music, Budapest, which was one of the premier piano restoration shops in Budapest and Hungary, and a major source of professional and concert instruments. Arpad was the only piano rebuilder and technician in Hungary from whom Zoltán Kocsis, the world-renowned pianist, had purchased rebuilt concert instrument. As Head Technician of this piano workshop he was also responsible for the daily tuning and maintenance of about 45 Steinway and other pianos of the Bartók Conservatory, and the concert maintenance of Hamburg Steinway model D pianos at several concert halls and recording studios.
In 1994 he became an instructor of piano restoration at the Musical Instrument Maker Department of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest.
As an instructor he was also responsible for the apprentices making their final test work in his shop before becoming journeymen. He trained several apprentices who have become very reputable piano technicians in Hungary.
Arpad was the Head Technician and concert tuner of the Hungarian National Television for several years, as well as other major concert venues, including the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, or major recording studios in Hungary (Naxos, Capriccio, Hungaroton), and in some other European cities.
He has been working in the U.S. since 1999. Since then Arpad has worked with numerous piano companies in New York City, including Maximiliaan’s House of Grand Pianos (as Head Technician), Piano Piano (as Head Technician and Technical Service Manager), Craftsman Piano (as Head Technician), Cantabile Piano, among many others.
Besides supervising complete rebuildings of regular New York Steinways and other brands, Arpad has worked on numerous unique, one of a kind, art-case pianos, as well.
Arpad is “the” “action-guy” of every rebuilding process – he forms the sound of the piano and makes sure that the action plays at its best.
Among his clients, there are world-renowned…
– Artist: Zoltán Kocsis, András Schiff, Jenő Jandó, Imre Rohmann, István Székely (pianists), Andrea Rost (soprano), Jose Carreras (tenor), Michel Legrand (pianist, composer), Philip Glass (composer), Zubin Mehta and the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, Budapest Strings Chamber Orchestra,
– Concert Halls and Performance Venues: Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music, National Television and Radio (Budapest, Hungary), City Ballet at Lincoln Center, NYU, The Kitano, Looking Glass Studio (New York City),
– Recording Studios: Red Rose Studio (Mark Levinson), Miklós Malek
– Recording Companies: Naxos, Capriccio, Hungaroton,
– Art Fairs: Palm Beach International (2000, 2001), Pier 94 Art Show (2002, 2003).
To mention a few of some famous pianos that Arpad prepared or worked on, or even restored:
– Christie’s, New York – preparation of the Ruhlmann-Gaveau for auction,
– Sotheby’s, and other auction houses in NY – preparation and restoration of several art-case pianos for auctions, including Lord Mountbatten’s piano and the very first art-case Steinway piano, designed and carved by the Herter Brothers (Gustave and Christian).