Erik Diehl

So, my name is Erik Diehl. I am a concert piano technician, and I work at the factory, primarily for the Steinway factory in Astoria, New York, which is part of New York City. So, my primary responsibilities here are working in the selection room, which is a room where orchestras and schools come to pick their concert instruments. And so it’s the nine-foot Concert Grands or the seven-foot Model Bs that we offer in this room. And so the pianos are finished in the factory, and then I bring them into my space and continue to refine the touch and the tone and the tuning of each instrument until it’s picked.

So I have anywhere from one to three customers per week, and typically the arrangements are made many months in advance, and so it’s often pianists, obviously, sometimes technicians, often donors for the orchestra or school because they want to see the factory and want to see how their money is being spent. And then I leave them alone in the room with the instruments, and they, basically, they should know what they’re looking for as far as tone and touch of an instrument. And they usually narrow it down to a couple. And I’m typically not involved in the selection unless I have a question, because I want them to be able to feel comfortable in here and play and spend some time building an emotional connection with the instrument, basically.