Terry Flynn is a master piano technician who has been a passionate music lover all his life. From an early age, with an innate appreciation for tone, words and melody, he began composing and performing music. He wrote songs and instrumentals for plays, short films and commercials. He inherited an instinct for craftsmanship from his father, an accomplished amateur classical violinist and professional engineer who taught his sons to work with a wide range of materials and tools...
After European travel and performance, Terry attended Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) where he graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Music and Liberal Arts. While in school, his love of music and pianos led him to begin work on tuning and restoring pianos. He had the good fortune to be tutored by his friend and neighbor, the late master piano technician, Frank Dillingham.
Terry developed a thorough understanding of the mechanics of pianos and the techniques required to achieve superb results. He also acquired specialized tools and skills from his association with Frank’s protege, Kim Muller, who had extensive training at the Steinway factory and concert services in Hamburg and Berlin. Terry and Kim established a workshop in Connecticut to restore and sell Steinway grand pianos combining the best practices and materials of NY and German pianos.
Together they restored Steinway grands for homes and performance venues throughout New England, including many clients in the Berkshires. Kim eventually settled in Freiburg, Germany, and in 2012, Terry moved his workshop and home to Great Barrington where Flynn Pianos has become an important contributor to musical life in the area.
The quality of Terry's work can probably best be described via the comments of his clients:
"You will find yourself in the company of a man who has devoted his life to all things piano."
"He is both patient and passionate about his work."
"The sound and feel of the piano was amazing. My Steinway B had never felt or sounded better."
"He took the time to understand the type of sound and action I enjoy."
"Under their great care, with new hammers, voicing and regulation, the piano had metamorphosed into a new instrument with a beautiful, vibrant, warm tone."
"He is the absolute best."
"My piano now possesses the dynamic range, subtlety of touch, singing tone, and orchestral clarity of a Steinway at its best. I could not be happier with their work"
"I couldn't believe the outcome he was able to achieve --- the sound is full and rich and the action is exactly the way I like it. The quality of his work is outstanding and the process could not have been better."
"To have such a resource in this rural area is amazing; Terry is a pleasure to work with."
Anson has been working for Flynn Pianos part time since the spring of 2018 after graduating from Westfield State University with a Bachelor's degree in Music and Writing. Piano tuner and technician by day, choral and instrumental composer, choral singer, and multi-instrumentalist by night, Anson loves everything music.
A natural fascination for musical knowledge as well as a good ear helped Anson to become interested in tuning work. The same fascination with mechanics and a love of hands-on work helped with the technician side of piano work.
A recently returned native of Columbia County, Marianka delights in the complex mix of mechanics, sound, and a bit of magic that is piano technology. Her musical training, aptitude for meticulous handwork and patience are a natural fit for the work.
She began her training in 1994 at the North Bennet Street School in Boston, followed by an internship at Tanglewood and a few years of work in the Boston area before relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area. She cherished the places, the people, and their pianos that she grew to know over nearly two decades there. But eventually the pull of family brought her back to New England in 2017..
The prospect of starting over again and building a new business was daunting. It became less so after a phone conversation with Terry Flynn concerning a family piano, and a resulting invitation to visit Flynn Pianos when she returned east. After meeting with Terry and Iris Tuomenoksa, Marianka found an unexpected friendship and a professional relationship that holds tuning and technical work to mutually high standards. This collaboration has allowed her to continue growing as a technician, to discover the extent of musical enterprise in the area, and to reconnect with people from her past through the lens of her career.
Marianka enjoys being invited into people’s homes and helping them to fully enjoy the sound, feel, and experience of their piano. She also values the connection to the musical world through meeting pianists and other musicians, both as a technician and as a cellist.
Iris was born and educated in the Netherlands, moving to the USA in 2003. After four years in Boston, she settled in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains in 2007 with her husband, Mark. She plays the drums, sings, composes songs, and loves to take her dog Bebop for walks. In 2015 Terry Flynn visited the Tuomenoksa residence to tune their 1908 Steinway B and help assess future work. Iris was so interested that she helped him that day. Terry was looking for an apprentice. So Iris went on to study and work full-time with Terry for six years, becoming a full and essential partner in developing the business. Among her myriad contributions, Iris found and equipped the current 2,000 sq. ft. workshop, radically improved the website, commissioned an hydraulic grand piano lifter/tilter (aka "Fred"), bought a trailer for piano moving and towing it with her well-named Ford Flex, and installed an electric winch to easily move pianos in and out. In 2021 Iris and Mark moved to Asheville, North Carolina. Flynn Pianos would not be where we are today without her. We benefit constantly from the thorough structure she created. And, of course, we miss her energy, humor, team spirit and high technical standards.
Ryan's presence in Berkshire county began in 2000 when he joined the stage crew at Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood. He continued to return to Lenox annually between academic years first as a student and then as an instrumental music teacher in public schools in Rochester, NY. After converting a diesel bus to run on vegetable oil in 2004, a colleague piano technician at Tanglewood recommended Ryan consider the field of piano technology due to his interest in music and mechanics. Ryan began his training in piano maintenance at the University of Western Ontario in 2007, graduating with a certificate in piano technology, and proceeded to earn a Master's Degree in piano technology at Florida State University in 2010. During this time, Ryan continued to return to the Berkshires in summer time to support Tanglewood - serving as both assistant stage manager and piano technician. Ryan worked for Flynn Pianos between 2018 and 2023 during which time he was the principal piano technician at Music Mountain in Falls Village, CT, as well as an on-call technician for Tanglewood's Linde Center. While at Flynn Pianos Ryan served primarily as a senior technician, regulating dozens of piano actions to the highest standards of playability and performance, adjusting each action to suit the needs of the player in terms of strength, comfort, tonal needs, and budget. As a tuner, Ryan tuned aurally and was lauded for his pleasing temperaments and thoughtful, patient approach.
In September of 2023, Ryan accepted a position at Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY.
