Bill Schwartz
WFMT’s Fay and Daniel Levin Performance Studio is quiet. It’s early morning, hours before the first musicians arrive, but one person is already here: Bill Schwartz. The longtime piano tuner moves with a friendly precision, his ears attuned to the smallest variances in pitch. He knows this instrument well. For years, he has ensured that it is ready for the music that will fill the room.
WFMT’s Steinway Model D Concert Grand Piano is, as Bill describes it, an understated but excellent instrument. It’s different from those at larger venues, say the CSO’s Orchestra Hall and Ravinia (Bill also tunes those pianos, by the way). While those instruments are designed to project sound across large spaces, this piano is suited to the Levin’s intimate environment.
A few years ago, Bill took the piano apart and rebuilt its core. He replaced the strings, hammers, and dampers. After that, its sound became even better. Thanks to his work, the piano at WFMT has not only been preserved but also enhanced, ensuring it remains one of the finer instruments in the city.
Bill’s journey as a piano technician began over 50 years ago, sparked by a simple observation at a community music studio. At the time, he was teaching guitar lessons, but his boss recognized his great ear and suggested he might have a talent for piano tuning. Describing himself as a lifelong “Mr. Fix-it,” he found piano tuning to be the perfect blend of his two passions: tinkering and music.
Early in his career, he caught the attention of a local Steinway dealer, who sent him to New York City for more training at the factory. From there, he was picked to tune pianos at Northwestern University’s School of Music, and as his standing continued to grow, he went on to become the go-to tuner for Chicago’s most prestigious pianos.
As Bill tunes the piano, his movements are deliberate, and he enters what he calls “the zone.” Hands gliding over the keys, pressing each one, listening intently for the slightest imperfection in pitch. He adjusts the tuning pins, occasionally pausing to forcefully strike a note repeatedly, fine-tuning it until it is perfect. Bill explains that he strikes the keys with such force to ensure a pianist playing particularly intense music, like some Rachmaninoff, won’t knock the piano out of tune. It’s a focused process, requiring not just technical skill, but also an intimate understanding of the instrument.
Bill Schwartz at work on WFMT's Steinway Model D Concert Grand Piano
Bill tells us that piano tuning is becoming a rarer craft. Nowadays, more people are opting for electric keyboards for various reasons. They're cheaper, lighter, smaller… but especially, cheaper. That's not a bad thing — it's easier than ever to pick up the instrument! But the demand for in-home piano tuning has diminished. He reassures us, though, that the need for skilled tuners remains high in performance spaces like WFMT, where the sound of a world-class piano is a must. These instruments require constant care to maintain their quality, and for tuners like him, that work is a labor of love.
After just under an hour of tuning, Bill is happy with his work. Bill gives the keyboard a test run, riffing on a simple but beautiful chord progression with the same well-practiced deftness that he uses to work on the piano.
Then Bill packs up his tools and heads out. WFMT is just his first stop of the day; other pianos across the city are waiting, and he has to ensure the music continues.
Louise Kern-Kensler was a 2024 WFMT Andrew Patner Fellow.
