Alexander LaCava, RPT
I have proudly been serving artists since 2016 when I began my journey as a professional piano technician. With almost a decade of experience, I'm excited to bring my services to you and your instrument!
I started my journey in 2016 at Berklee College of Music, working as an apprentice in the Piano Technology department. A team dedicated solely to the maintenance of the fleet of nearly 500 acoustic pianos on the college's campus. From there, my skillset grew, propelled by my curiosity and passion for the piano. After a few years of dedicated service, I became a full fledged technician at the college. From there I pursued the Registered Piano Technician certification. An RPT must pass a battery of exams, both practical and written, demonstrating their complete knowledge of the craft. After achieving my status as an RPT, I began working for the local Steinway & Sons dealership. There, I gained experience working with incredibly fine instruments and doing equally fine work. I spent time at the Steinway factory in New York learning the fine details of how to bring a piano to its highest level of performance. I bring all of this experience with me to every piano I work on, working to make your home piano feel like the finest piano in the world.
Work History
Berklee College of Music (2016 - 2022)
I worked on a team of exceptionally skilled technicians during my time at Berklee. On this team, I helped keep Berklee's pianos in shape as world class artists used them to perform, record, and rehearse. At Berklee I had the chance to do the highest level work on top of the line concert pianos from Steinway & Sons to Yamaha to Fazioli.
M. Steinert & Sons (2019 - 2024)
My work at M. Steinert & Sons is nothing short of the best I have to offer. I have the opportunity to work on brand new Steinway & Sons pianos and bring them to their absolute peak performance. I routinely perform services like concert tuning and selection prep, as well as working on state of the art player pianos like Spirio.
My professional career has been driven by curiosity. Challenges are opportunities to learn, and can be thrilling to overcome. I've been extremely fortunate to have had the chance to work at such prestigious institutions and to be mentored by some of the top technicians in the region.
Certifications and Training
Registered Piano Technician (2022)
A Registered Piano Technician (RPT) has passed a series of rigorous examinations on the maintenance, repair, and tuning of pianos. Only RPTs are authorized by The Piano Technicians Guild to display the logo containing the words “Registered Piano Technician”.
Dampp Chaser Certified Installer (2023)
Dampp Chaser's are climate control systems that can be installed in pianos to get the most out of every technician visit. Only Dampp Chaser Certified Installers should install or maintain Dampp Chaser systems.
Steinway Technical Training - Regulation (2023)
Steinway regulation training is a week-long seminar held in Astoria, New York at the Steinway & Sons piano factory. This training goes over every aspect of regulating a Steinway & Sons grand piano exactly to factory specifications.
Steinway Technical Training - Spirio (2023)
Steinway Spirio training is a week-long seminar held in Astoria, New York at the Steinway & Sons piano factory. This training prepares technicians to work on Spirio systems, Steinway's state of the art player system.
Steinway Technical Training - Voicing (2024)
Steinway voicing training is a week-long seminar held in Astoria, New York at the Steinway & Sons piano factory. This training is a deep dive into the methods that the Steinway & Sons factory uses to voice their pianos. At the factory they call this "tone regulation."
Education
Berklee College of Music (2015 - 2019)
I graduated with distinction from Berklee College of Music in 2019 with a BFA in music composition and piano as my principle instrument. I credit Berklee and its work-study program for introducing me to piano technology and helping me to explore my curiosity and passion for it.