Ward Guthrie, RPT
Ward is a teaching piano technician-rebuilder in Bozeman, Montana, where he services pianos for private clients, schools, colleges and universities over a wide area. Before learning piano technology Ward earned his Masters degree in Music Education from Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He also is an experienced symphony conductor and musician.
He is one of our school’s Technical Advisors, and has had experience training piano technicians, several of whom (including two daughters) have taken our course.
Ward has taught at numerous Piano Technicians Guild local, state, regional and national conventions and institutes, has served as chairman of PTG’s Test Standards Tuning Sub Committee, as Pacific Northwest Regional Vice President of PTG, Director of PTG’s Technical Institute Committee (twice), and has been one of our instructors since 1998.
Dave Swartz, RPT
Dave lives in Rosemont, Minnesota, where he serves as piano technician for Northwestern College in St. Paul and has a nationally known rebuilding shop. Dave is a graduate of our school, and also of our first Advanced Training Seminar, which was held at Baylor University in Waco, Texas in 1990. He has been one of our ATS instructors ever since. Dave is a well-known conference instructor, and has taught at numerous local, regional and PTG Annual Conventions and Technical Institutes. He is also one of our school’s Technical Advisors. One of Dave’s specialties is smoke damage restoration, and he teaches a segment on that subject during the week. He and his wife, Lori, own Cory Products, as well as Fire Clean Smoke Damage Restoration Products companies.
Randy Potter, RPT
Randy is the founder and president of the school, author of three published books, numerous technical articles, and has produced over a dozen technical training videos and DVDs. He performs concert service for the local college and for several concert associations and venues, for both piano and harpsichord. Randy is a rebuilder and has a complete rebuilding shop in Central Oregon. He has served in all capacities in his local PTG chapter, as President of the Pacific Northwest Regional Conference (five years), and is a well-known instructor at local, regional and national PTG conventions and institutes in the U.S. and Canada, Pianoforte Tuners’ Association conventions in Great Britain, IAPBT conventions in Europe, Japan and Australia, PTTGNZ in New Zealand and APTTA in Australia. He has served on many PTG international committees and as president of the PTG Foundation.
Stan Neff, RPT
Stan lives in Scott’s Valley, California, where he serves both private clients, schools and universities as piano technician. He does complete rebuilding in his shop in Scott’s Valley. Stan is a graduate of our school, and also of our Intermediate and Advanced Training Seminars. Stan has been one of our seminar instructors for about 15 years. Stan also is a well-known operatic performer who is in high demand in California.
Angela Guthrie-Espinosa, RPT
Angela grew up working in her father’s (Ward Guthrie) shop, and later studied our course when she was in college in Southern California. She majored in music, graduating in harp performance. She taught harp at the university level, and was a well-know performer in high demand there. She moved back to Bozeman with her husband Joe, in about 2010, to pursue her career and life in a less hectic environment, and is now a sought after harpist in Montana, where she performs regularly. Angela is a full-time piano technician and rebuilder in Bozeman, Montana, and is a regular instructor for our seminars.
All instructors are Registered Piano Technician members of the Piano Technicians Guild. In addition to being very competent at tuning, repairing and regulating, concert piano preparation, and rebuilding, all are experienced at teaching both beginning, intermediate and advanced technicians, and are experienced both in giving PTG Exams as well as helping technicians prepare for them.