ABOUT MARK CRAMER
Piano technician for people who truly love the instrument.
My name is Mark Cramer, a Registered Piano Technician (RPT) whose work moves between various worlds: the home where people learn to love music and hear their piano soar, the quiet workbench where soundboards are crafted and actions are rebuilt, and the bright stages and recording studios where every detail is heard.
My clients include homes, piano teachers and their students, churches, schools, universities, concert halls, orchestras, and concert artists — and anyone who simply wants their piano to respond beautifully every time they sit down to play.
Along with tuning, I specialize in personalizing the tone and touch of newer pianos and in the full restoration of older instruments. I service all makes and models, including being a factory-authorized service technician with, authentic Steinway components, for Steinway & Sons.
I’m always happy to talk about your home piano, no matter its make, age, or level of use. You don’t need to be an advanced pianist, I simply enjoy helping families and players of all levels get more joy from the instrument they already have.
My goal is simple: to help you enjoy playing the piano for a lifetime.
Trusted by institutions, broadcasters & artists including:
- Brandon University – School of Music
- Banff Centre for the Arts
- CBC Radio Two
- Piano Technicians Guild (Registered Piano Technician)
- Steinway & Sons – New York
- Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium
- Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
For pianists, teachers and listeners who desire more from a piano.
Whether it’s a family upright, a teaching studio workhorse, or a concert grand in front of an orchestra, the expectation is the same:
- the piano must stay in tune,
- the action must be predictable and comfortable,
- and the sound must carry your musical ideas without getting in the way.
My work combines maker-level understanding of the instrument with the practical realities of daily use, performance pressure, and recording. From first-lesson pianos to world-class concert instruments, the focus is always on how it feels to play.
Let’s talk about your piano.
Whether you need a straightforward tuning or you’re planning a major restoration or instrument purchase, the first step is a conversation. Tell me a little about your piano, how it’s used, and what you’d like it to do better. We are always happy to take time to consult with you, and help clarify any questions, or concerns you may have. Talking about pianos is our favorite pastime!
Selected work & highlights
The Banff Centre for the Arts
I am quite privileged to have worked at the Banff Centre since 1998, first as a program participant, then as faculty, and now as senior technical-consultant. We have over 100 pianos on campus, placed in a variety of inspiring settings, studios, concert-stages, even in private artist-studios, hidden deep in the woods. My colleagues Albert Picknell and Robert Haist work tirelessly to maintain these fine instruments to world-class standards.
Highlights
Hand-crafting an Engelmann Spruce soundboard for a 9’ Baldwin Concert Grand, under the masterful guidance of colleagues Edward “Ted” Sambell, and Denis Brassard.
A recording I worked on with The Gryphon Trio wins a Juno Award for Best Classical – featuring a Hamburg Steinway we lovingly know as “Brunhilda.” “Thank-you Jamie for all the 4AM messages from the recording studio… when exactly do you sleep!?”
Brandon University
I began establishing an in-house piano-maintenance program at the School of Music, one of very few in the country. Since its inception, we have been able to fully-overhaul our own pianos, including soundboard replacements and full restoration of older instruments. The piano maintenance shop is also well-known for professional development programs, with close to 100 piano technicians, assistants, and apprentices from Canada and the US, having participated in various projects. “Marc-André Hamelin indicated to me that the piano could not have been regulated better than it was. He wouldn’t have played the Debussy encore – that he doesn’t play it often because most pianos are not responsive enough –but he was immediately aware that this piano was responsive to his every whim. Mark has done fabulous things for the school. His work has been beyond exceptional. We’re very fortunate to have him.”Dr. Glen Carruthers,
CBC Radio Two
I believe the first recording I worked on with CBC was in Spring of 1998, and it remains among the most demanding work I am ever called to do. On a live-recording, every fine detail is magnified and permanent… there are no “do overs.” Over the years, it has been both a privilege and education to work with such dedicated hosts, producers and technicians as Joe Fingerote, Andrea Ratuski, Sandy Thacker, Joe Dudych and Charles Simon. Highlights Hearing my work the first time ever on National Broadcast… amazement and relief, in equal measure. An amazing drum-solo on the Father’s Day broadcast of “Tonic” recorded during the Brandon Jazz Festival, featuring a remarkable 14-year-old drummer named Graydon Cramer. “What I really appreciate about Mark,.. is the fact that he is always listening, he’s responding to what he hears with a musical ear and with the mindset of always looking for improvement. Even once he’s done his work and steps back and listens, he’s not done. That’s what we like.”Joe Fingerote
Former recording engineer & host CBC Radio Two Reprinted by permission from the Brandon Sun
The Piano Technicians Guild
This is a remarkable organization of volunteers who single-handedly uphold the highest standards and ethics of piano service. Why trust your piano to anyone else?
Highlights:
Dearborn, MI. Successful completion of the final exam to become a Registered Piano Technician.
Providence, RI. First invitation to present a lecture at a PTG National Conference.
Steinway & Sons, New York
The historic Steinway & Sons factory is located in Long
Island City, just minutes from LaGuardia airport. I travel there as often as possible, to work with new pianos and sharpen my tuning, voicing and regulating skills. I also make a point of playing the Concert & Artist pianos at Steinway Hall, Carnegie, and on other stages around the city, to refresh my concept of world-class concert-piano sound. Every trip to New York (Steinway) is an education.
Highlights:
Having customers from Canada come to New York to select their new Steinways in person, tour the historic factory, and meet the people who build these instruments by hand.
Meeting the late Henry Z.Steinway – poking around a vacant loft-floor in one of the older buildings led to a chance encounter I will never forget.
The Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium
Travelling concert-pianists are pretty much the only solo-artists expected to perform 30 – 45 minutes of extremely-difficult music, by memory, in front of a large audience, on a totally unfamiliar instrument.
So, when faced with the daunting task of shopping for a new concert-grand piano, the WMCA wisely decided to give the wishes of concert-pianists highest priority. What they discovered, is that despite huge differences in personalities, repertoire, and concert-venues, everyone seems to agree about the piano that they want to see on stage.
(When given a choice, Steinway is chosen for 97% of all major performances around the world, every year, over all other piano makes combined)
Apparently, that is how we came to have a beautiful 9’ Steinway & Sons Concert Grand Piano, hand-picked by pianist Janina Fialkowska and violinist James Ehnes, on the stage of our WMCA.
Highlights:
Tuning for James Ehnes first solo concert with the new Steinway. When I finished, he hands me his Stradivarius and says “Wow, can you tune this for me too?” (NO, I did NOT even go near it!)
The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
Preparing a piano for a concert-performance, takes much more than just tuning. The piano must be on pitch with the Orchestra, taking into account heat from spotlights changing the pitch of the strings. It also must be tuned with a great degree of force, in order to hold up to the demands of a concert pianist throughout the performance. (think in terms of martial arts)
The action also needs to be perfect, finely-adjusted for depth of touch, power, speed of repetition, and precise-response from every note, and the tone must be delicately-balanced for clarity at every dynamic level, from thundering, down to a whisper.
“When the artist sits down to the keyboard of a Steinway, they expect very Steinway-like things to happen.”
Kent Webb
World-Class Technician, mentor and friend,
Steinway & Sons, New York
Highlights:
Marc-André Hamelin performing the Busoni Concerto, with full orchestra and 80 voice male choir. We are considered very fortunate to hear this magnificent work performed once in a lifetime!