ABOUT THE TECHNICIANS
Dustin Hamilton has been servicing pianos all over Northeast Missouri, Southeast Iowa and West-Central Illinois since 2006. He has been working in some capacity with the technical aspects of musical instruments since early high school. He built two autoharps beginning at the age of 16 and began working with pianos soon after.
Dustin is originally from Bowling Green, MO. His early training in piano tuning came from his father, also a piano technician. Living in a rural area with virtually no other technicians nearby, Dustin was able to gain a large amount of practice tuning in homes in surrounding areas. During his time as a student at Truman, he was able to work with two previous staff technicians, and further develop his abilities on practice room instruments.
From 2011-2014, Dustin worked with Thomas Zasadny at Premier Piano Service in Walker, IA, rebuilding Steinway and other high-quality grand pianos.
Dustin’s major influences have included Thomas Zasadny, Joseph Kemple, Norman Petersen, Don Hamilton, and Steven Fair. He became a Certified Installer for Dampp-Chaser Piano Life Saver Systems in 2010.
Dustin Hamilton
Preparing Steinway grand pianos for the visiting 5 Browns at Truman State University
Courtney Hamilton
Courtney has been working with pianos since 2011. She is originally from Centerville, IA, where she was heavily involved in music from an early age. During her time as a student at Truman State University, she continued to be active as a saxophonist and vocalist.
Courtney handles most of our keyboard and key action work. She has developed a high level of expertise with these tasks, as this was her main occupation at Premier Piano Service from 2012-2014.
Attention to detail sets Courtney’s keyboards apart from the work of other facilities. In addition to simply replacing the white keytops, she has perfected a method of resurfacing the sides of worn keys, restoring the uniform width and consistency of keys, and reshaping/restoring worn, wooden black keys.
Examples of her work have graced the keyboards of antique Steinway grand pianos sold in St. Louis, Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh, among others.
