Bio
| Ben Gac Registered Piano Technician |
Ben Gac was born in Los Alamos, NM. He grew up studying music, learning to
play many instruments; the piano, guitar, trombone, and harmonica. Singing
became Ben's musical passion, and he attended the Wheaton College
Conservatory of Music and received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance.
Ben attended graduate school at the Cleveland Institute of Music to continue
his vocal studies. He now resides in Forest Park, IL, and remains an active
musician in the Chicagoland area. Ben sang baritone in the Chicago
Symphony Chorus for five years.
Ben attended the Chicago School for Piano Technology, and quickly began
running a successful business in Chicagoland. He began doing work at the
Wheaton College Conservatory of Music and for the piano dealer American
Music World. Less than 6 months after completing piano technology school
Ben passed the Registered Piano Technician exams--rigorous examinations
designed to test one's knowledge of piano tuning, repair, and regulation.
In the summer of 2007 Ben joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the
Boston Pops at the Tanglewood Music Festival to tune pianos as a piano
technician intern. While he was there he had the opportunity to interact with
many high caliber musicians and improve his finer, high-level, performance
piano preparing abilities. Ben gained much exposure to the intricacies of
Steinway pianos while there, and now offers specialty services in Steinway
pianos. After completing his internship at Tanglewood, Ben was subsequently
offered a job from Steinway in New York.
Ben instead returned to Chicagoland to continue servicing pianos in the
Midwest. He began tuning for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Fazioli dealer
Pianoforte Chicago, Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL. Ben also began
tuning for the local Steinway dealer and for the Elgin Symphony, and continues
his work at Wheaton College--not to mention keeping busy with his private
clientele!
In the summer of 2011 Ben was invited back to Tanglewood--this time as the
Head Piano Technician for the Boston Symphony Orchestra--to oversee the
preparation of the 80-some Steinways being used during the season, and to
oversee the work of the piano technician interns. That summer Ben also
attended the C.F. Theodore Steinway Academy in New York: a selective
training program designed to help piano technicians servicing Steinways to
raise their standard of service to an even higher level. After returning to
Chicago Ben began servicing the pianos at Steinway Piano Gallery--the new
factory owned Steinway store in Chicagoland--as their Steinway specialist.
Ben is an active member of the Chicago Chapter of the Piano Technicians
Guild; he also spends time working with the chapter's piano donation program
"Gift of Pianos". Ben has written several articles that have been published in
the PTG publication The Journal, as well as in the Chicago Chapter's
publication The Wippenpost. Ben is also certified to give tuning exams for the
Piano Technicians Guild. He joined the faculty of the Chicago School for
Piano Technology in 2009 to teach the Advanced Tuning Curriculum.
Ben is married to his wife, Christy, and resides in Forest Park, IL. Their
daughter, Sophia, was born in September of 2010.
Ben and his family at Tanglewood
play many instruments; the piano, guitar, trombone, and harmonica. Singing
became Ben's musical passion, and he attended the Wheaton College
Conservatory of Music and received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance.
Ben attended graduate school at the Cleveland Institute of Music to continue
his vocal studies. He now resides in Forest Park, IL, and remains an active
musician in the Chicagoland area. Ben sang baritone in the Chicago
Symphony Chorus for five years.
Ben attended the Chicago School for Piano Technology, and quickly began
running a successful business in Chicagoland. He began doing work at the
Wheaton College Conservatory of Music and for the piano dealer American
Music World. Less than 6 months after completing piano technology school
Ben passed the Registered Piano Technician exams--rigorous examinations
designed to test one's knowledge of piano tuning, repair, and regulation.
In the summer of 2007 Ben joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the
Boston Pops at the Tanglewood Music Festival to tune pianos as a piano
technician intern. While he was there he had the opportunity to interact with
many high caliber musicians and improve his finer, high-level, performance
piano preparing abilities. Ben gained much exposure to the intricacies of
Steinway pianos while there, and now offers specialty services in Steinway
pianos. After completing his internship at Tanglewood, Ben was subsequently
offered a job from Steinway in New York.
Ben instead returned to Chicagoland to continue servicing pianos in the
Midwest. He began tuning for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Fazioli dealer
Pianoforte Chicago, Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL. Ben also began
tuning for the local Steinway dealer and for the Elgin Symphony, and continues
his work at Wheaton College--not to mention keeping busy with his private
clientele!
In the summer of 2011 Ben was invited back to Tanglewood--this time as the
Head Piano Technician for the Boston Symphony Orchestra--to oversee the
preparation of the 80-some Steinways being used during the season, and to
oversee the work of the piano technician interns. That summer Ben also
attended the C.F. Theodore Steinway Academy in New York: a selective
training program designed to help piano technicians servicing Steinways to
raise their standard of service to an even higher level. After returning to
Chicago Ben began servicing the pianos at Steinway Piano Gallery--the new
factory owned Steinway store in Chicagoland--as their Steinway specialist.
Ben is an active member of the Chicago Chapter of the Piano Technicians
Guild; he also spends time working with the chapter's piano donation program
"Gift of Pianos". Ben has written several articles that have been published in
the PTG publication The Journal, as well as in the Chicago Chapter's
publication The Wippenpost. Ben is also certified to give tuning exams for the
Piano Technicians Guild. He joined the faculty of the Chicago School for
Piano Technology in 2009 to teach the Advanced Tuning Curriculum.
Ben is married to his wife, Christy, and resides in Forest Park, IL. Their
daughter, Sophia, was born in September of 2010.
Ben and his family at Tanglewood
