Kazuo Yoshizaki, RPT

Yoshi graduated from college in Tokyo with a degree in mechanical engineering. He had always been interested in things mechanical, but his passion for music developed later, sparked by Lord Frederic Leighton's "Italian Girl". Leighton was a pre-Raphaelite painter in the late 19th century, who also loved music and held recitals every week in his house on Holland Park Road in London. Yoshi soon fell in love with the music of Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and other Romantics, mostly through their piano pieces. He collected many CDs by various artists and began to practice the piano. One day, he played a Steinway and became curious about the secret of the Steinway sound.

Love for mechanics met love of music here. He started to read books on pianos and Steinway pianos in particular. After attending a three-day introductory course in piano technology with Bill Garlick on Long Island, Yoshi started servicing his own piano. Eventually, he decided to become a professional piano technician and in 1997 joined the Piano Technology program at North Bennet Street School in Boston.

Yoshi studied tuning and regulation in the first year under Jack Stebbins and Christine Lovgren. That summer he was selected to be assistant piano technician at the Tanglewood Music Festival, working under technician/rebuilder Joel Rappaport. Yoshi then attended the second year rebuilding program at NBSS under David Betts, receiving a Golden Mute Award when he graduated in the spring of 1999.

Since then, Yoshi has worked for himself, the Harvard University Music department, and Concord Piano. Yoshi is an RPT (Registered Piano Technician) member of the Piano Technician's Guild.