JOHANN KREBS

Vienna-trained master piano technician and tuner Johann Krebs brings 52 years of experience to his clients. 

Johann began learning about the maintenance and repair of pianos under the tutelage  of Dieter Bergauer at the first cooperative of piano builders of Vienna  and Budapest, where he studied for five-and-a-half years. During that  same time, Mr. Krebs also trained at the Ehrbar piano factory and  studied at what is now known as the Music University of Vienna. He went on to complete technical training at the Steinway factory in Queens, New York under the supervision of Joe Biseglie; and also studied special voicing techniques with the head technician at the London, England Steinway establishment.

Mr. Krebs has tremendous experience with Steinway pianos  in particular, having worked with Steinways for various orchestras,  solo performers, chamber musicians and other organizations of note;  under a variety of circumstances and cultural heritages and sometimes  under very demanding conditions. In addition to UBC he has worked with many of Vancouver's local theatres.  He has worked nation-wide with organizations such as the CBC, the  University of Toronto, Hart House in Toronto, the University of  Lethbridge and the Lethbridge concert hall. Mr. Krebs has also worked  with international Steinways at such places as Diligentsia Concert Hall  in The Hague in the Netherlands, and Vienna's Musikvereinssaal and the  Konzerthaus; and has even tuned the pianos for the new year's ball in Vienna in the Hofburg Palace where Europe's royalty and government leaders were in attendance.

Besides his work with pianos, Mr. Krebs is an accomplished pianist,  having won second prize in the Royal Dutch Society of Musicians competition in the Netherlands. He has a diploma in clinical music therapy where he specialized in psychosomatic illness, and a diploma in  laboratory technology for research in chemistry. The musical and research skills gained in these fields have contributed greatly to his  understanding of music and the piano.