It was announced last week that the renowned Australian piano technician Ara Vartoukian had died. He was 64.

“He truly embodied the values of kindness, hard work, strength, resilience, and dedication to his family and craft” wrote his wife Nyree Vartoukian in a social media post.

Ara Vartoukian, 1960–2024

The son of migrants from Armenia and a pianist from an early age, Vartoukian grew up in Sydney and undertook the Piano Tuning and Technology Course at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He completed the course in 1978, having obtained the highest marks of any graduate and setting a record for the most accurate tuning within the school.

Within five years, Vartoukian was appointed the position of head lecturer at the School of Piano Tuning & Technology at the Conservatorium, a position he held until 1985.

Studying in overseas piano factories including those of as Yamaha, Bechstein, Steinway & Sons (Hamburg & New York), Bösendorfer and Baldwin, Vartoukian became internationally regarded as an expert technician. Over decades, he tuned and serviced many concert grade pianos in venues across Australia and was the in-house technician for Sydney’s City Recital Hall from its inception in...