Jim Callahan, Sr.
Our founding father, Jim Sr. a professional musician, played French horn with
the San Francisco Symphony from 1956 to 1985. He apprenticed with Bay Area piano
tuning legend Peter Wolford and began a part-time piano service in 1957. Jim
Sr.'s love of music and pianos seems to have influenced his four sons, all devoted
to the business, as well as his four daughters, all accomplished musicians.
John Callahan
John, the Owner/ Operator of Callahan Piano Service since 1975, is a member
of the Piano Technicians Guild and received the highest classification of Registered
Piano Technician in 1978. Under his guidance, Callahan Piano Service has grown
to be the largest piano service organization in the San Francisco Bay Area with
over 6,000 customers including numerous churches, recording studios, recital
halls, and musicians. Click here for a Special Message from John Callahan.
"One of John Callahan's great qualities, apart from his redoubtable skills as a restorer, is to be able to communicate the often arcane intricacies of piano repair to the non-expert without its ever feeling as if he is talking down to you. He generously reviewed the parts of my manuscript for "The Piano Shop on the Left Bank" that dealt with the technical details of tuning and repairing, gently steering me in a direction that made the fundamental principles clearer both to me and to my readers. He's a true teacher with an unbounded passion for his subject. No wonder his customers are so loyal! " (read more) -- Thad Carhart, author of The Piano Shop on the Left Bank
Jim Callahan, Jr.
Jim Jr. is President of Piedmont Piano Company, located in Oakland, California.
This is the sales side of the Callahan family piano business and features fine
quality new and used Yamaha, Fazioli, Steinway, Pleyel, and other fine pianos. Rentals,
as well as digital pianos, are also available.
Michael Callahan
Michael operated his own piano service in the South Bay Area from 1982 to 1990.
Since joining Callahan Piano Service he has specialized in concert and in-home
tuning, regulation, and voicing for our most discriminating clients.
Matt Callahan
Matt, who "grew up with a tuning hammer in his hand", has occasionally left
the family business for stints as an actor, musician, stand-up comic, and singer.
He has been back with us full-time since 1995, servicing pianos in the home,
yet he still finds time for sailing on the bay in his Islander 36, Gypsy, and performing
with the Lamplighters.
Steve Willis
Although not technically a Callahan, Steve has been with us since 1978. He
is a Master Piano Re-builder and our shop foreman. Steve is also a professional
pianist, singer, and songwriter, and in 1998 was inducted into the Arizona Blues Hall
of Fame. Click here for more on Steve: http://www.sewillis.com
Rhys McKay
Rhys, a Master Piano Re-builder with over 30 years experience, has worked closely with the Callahans for over 20 years. He rejoined our company full-time in
2000 and, together with Shop Foreman Steve Willis, is responsible for the incredible action and belly work being done in our workshop.
Douglas Braak
Douglas joined us in 2002, and has 15 years experience in all facets of piano service and rebuilding, and is one of the certified Stanwood PTD installers in the shop. He has a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado.
Jeff Atkisson
Jeff joined Callahan Piano Service in 2004; an avid apprentice when he arrived, Jeff took full advantage of the shop's
generous teaching environment to become an integral member of the Callahan team. Under the guidance of Rhys McKay, Jeff is fast becoming expert in all aspects of belly
work.
Patricia Callahan
Trisha brings a wealth of analytical experience to the shop. In addition to plotting the intricacies of piano restoration
as databases and spreadsheets, she enjoys the analytical and mechanical aspects of piano work. To exercise other regions of her
brain, she sings with the California Bach Society and Coro Hispano de San Francisco, and she is currently pursuing a Master's
degree in Musicology at CSU East Bay.
Dan Neises
Dan, an Oregonian by birth, comes to Callahan Piano by way of Ohio and North Carolina. He is an RPT in the Piano Technicians Guild, and holds a masters degree in music history. His thesis on liturgical chant in Poland garnered him the Midwest Association of Graduate Schools' Distinguished Thesis Award for 2005. He also contributed several entries to the forthcoming Dictionary of Hymnology, due out in 2008 from Oxford University Press. In his spare time, Dan is an avid pianist, reader, and hiker.
Grant Hillmeyer
Grant is truely a master at the craft of furniture refinishing. His shop, Bepler Furniture Service, is in Sonora, California, where he lives with his wife and two children. We know it's far away,
but Grant is the best, and we can't resist sending our customers' pianos to him. Like his father-in-law before him, his relationship
with Callahan Piano Service goes back many years.
Bob the Dog
Originally from Austin, Texas, Bob hitched a ride to California in 1999 with his pal
Trisha, when she returned after 10 years away from the Bay Area. Bob takes his role as Shop Dog seriously at CPS, where he keeps
a careful ear out for the UPS and FedEx trucks, and monitors the field outside the shop for squirrel, goose and jack rabbit
activity. However, his favorite responsibility is dispensing his Zen-like wisdom at piano parties.
Caryn Combis
Caryn Combis works at our Oakland Headquarters as Callahan Piano Service's office manager. Caryn's diverse background--experience not only in library science and document control, but also retail merchandising, purchasing, and advertising--renders her ready for all the administrative curve balls the shop team can throw! A San Francisco native, Caryn has been a long time Oakland resident; she joined Callahan Piano Service in 2000.
|
|