Bauer, the Shop Dog.

Official Greeter

Bauer is a seven-year-old Redbone Coon Hound. Friendly, courteous, and especially skilled in finding hidden treats, Bauer is a valued member of our team. Usually found snuggled in her special armchair among the Steinways, you could give her a little rub if you are so inclined.

Named after the first hockey company to begin producing hockey skates in which the blade is attached to the boot, Bauer’s family are a big hockey family, who are, of course, rather attached to her.

NOTE: If, for some reason, you have a fear of dogs (even though Bauer is absolutely harmless) if you prefer, we can put her in the boss’s office during your visit.

 

Bauer has her own Instagram account!

Alex Hahn

Owner & President

Born and raised in Toronto, Alex is the third generation of the Hahn family to operate Paul Hahn & Co. Simply put, pianos are in her blood. Sweeping floors in the workshop in her teens, and learning each step of the restoration process under the guidance of two head Technicians, Ron Pickering and Gerry Carlson, gave Alex an intimate knowledge of the piano from two perspectives. A natural ‘people person’, Alex’s energy and knowledge have helped countless customers find or restore the perfect piano. Alex was educated at the University of Waterloo, where she earned a degree in Environmental Studies. She lives in the Wychwood Park neighbourhood in Toronto with her husband Allan, hounds Bauer and Merc. Their eldest son, Allister, completed a Finance degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax. Andrew completed a Business degree at St. Francis Xavier, and Allie is currently at St. Francis Xavier in Business. Alex is pleased to have resumed piano lessons after a 25-year hiatus. When she isn’t in the store, she enjoys travelling, camping in northern Ontario, and long walks with her dogs.

Neale Ramakrishnan

Office Administrator

Born in Oakville, Neale comes to Paul Hahn after having lived in places as diverse as Argentina and Korea, and having jobs as varied as selling kitchen knives or credit decisioning for a multi-million-dollar computer consumables wholesaler. After having spent over a decade helping to run an acclaimed recording studio in downtown Toronto, he now hopes to contribute at Paul Hahn in his own eccentric way. When the day is done, he can then head home to his lovely wife Brenda and their cat Daisy, play goalie in soccer once a week, maybe play some tunes in a band on whatever instrument he’s playing that day… although he certainly wouldn’t pay good money to see himself play!

Fiona Sandwell

Logistics Coordinator

Fiona is a recent graduate from York University with a Masters in Disaster and Emergency Management and a Bachelors of Arts from Queen’s University. Fiona has poor piano skills due to a distinct lack of rhythm, but makes up for it in keen organizational capabilities. Fiona also loves to bring her own piano shop dog in training, Eddie, the German Shorthaired Pointer into the shop! Stop by and say hi to them.

Christopher Ritcey-Conrad

General Manager and Lead Technician

Chris hails from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia and is a graduate of Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick and the Piano Technology Program at the University Of Western Ontario. Varied interests keep Chris busy, whether it’s photography, staying active, traveling or auto mechanics. Passionate about piano restoration, Chris loves to suggest ways that he can improve your piano. Whether it’s in the workshop rebuilding, tuning in recording studios, private homes or concert hall stages, we are thrilled to have Chris on our team.

Arkadi Gintsburg

Technician

Visiting our tuning customers on his trademark blue Suzuki motorcycle, Arkadi brings decades of international experience to every piano he touches. He has lived and worked as a piano technician in Ukraine, Russia and Israel. He emigrated to Canada in 1997, and is a proud Canadian citizen. When he’s not working on pianos, he can be found with his girlfriend Alla and their Alaskan Malamute ‘Loki’ relaxing on their boat on Lake Simcoe. A wizard with a piano action, his skill as a tuner and technician is held in high esteem by our customers.

Francis Wang

Technician

Francis has a long history with the piano, even owning his own piano store for several years. A graduate of the Shanghai Conservatory in 1981, Francis is also a professional dulcimer player and composer.  His works have been performed around the world, most recently by the The National Chinese Orchestra in Beiljing. Francis arrived in Canada in 1988, and is a proud citizen. He studied to be a piano technician at George Brown College and graduated in 1994. A complete technician, Francis has a keen ear for voicing.

Jamie Musselwhite

Technician

With over forty years of experience, Jamie learned his trade from his father and numerous other piano industry professionals. He has tuned for such clients as Canstage, Soulpepper Theatre, the National Ballet of Canada, the Canadian Opera Company, Victor Borge, the Pointer Sisters, Manhattan Transfer, Alice Cooper, Anton Kuerti, Burton Cummings and thousands of individual piano owners. Up until very recently, his specialty has been the tuning, maintenance, and restoration of pianos – a few of them, the same pianos that his father and grandfather worked on when they were new. Now, Jamie has a new focus: Informing people about pianos, listening to their needs, and helping them to make wise choices when purchasing a piano. When not working with pianos, Jamie writes about them. A published author with more than ten books to his credit, his two books about pianos: “The Art of Compromise – Aural Piano Tuning” and “EEK! A PIANO! – Everything you ever wanted to know about pianos but were afraid to ask!” have sold thousands of copies around the world.

Pavel Solodovnikov

Technician

Pavel has deep roots in the piano restoration industry, coming from three previous generations of piano technicians. He graduated in 2015 from Western University with a certificate in Piano Technology. Pavel excels in-home tunings and has received rave revues of his work from his clients, he also maintains our showroom stock and works with Nikolai restoring pianos in our workshop. In his spare time, he has a passion for live music and is known to be a bit of a sports fan – although he would prefer to be an active participant than a spectator. Now a “real” Torontonian, Pavel supports all our professional teams: The Toronto FC, Raptors, Blue Jays and Leafs.

Javid Hashemisepehr

Technician

Javid immigrated to Canada in 2018 from Tehran Iran with his two children Parsa and Parmis. He graduated from Gillan State University in Iran with a Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has 17 years of experience in the auto industry specializing in launching body assembly line projects. Aside from being highly educated, Javid has vast experience as a piano technician. In Tehran, he tuned, refinished and re-polished piano cabinets and cases. On his days off, he spends his time catching up with his favourite television shows and raising his kids. Welcome to the team Javid! 

Eera Echo Bjorn Hall

Piano Refinishing Artist

Eera comes to us with a background in Fine Arts, Event Production and Design, Artistic Direction and most recently, Scenic Painting for Film and Television. Playing and engaging in music has always been at the centre of life. They started with piano at a young age and later moved on to alto saxophone, guitar, Djing and live looping vocals. In their spare time, you can catch them studying slow art practices and the relationship between light and sound waves, dancing to techno, taking care of their plants, making textile art, or reviving old and forgotten items into new and fantastical home decor.

Joerg Krueger

Refinisher Emeritus

Joerg joined us in 2019 and has a background in refinishing with an emphasis on colour. He’s held several different jobs in the past and takes pride in everything he does. Did you know that he was a DJ in the 70s? On his days off, he is an avid boater and is also presently restoring a 70 year old sailing dinghy. We are lucky to have Joerg as part of the Paul Hahn Team!

Stewart Giles

Summer Student Intern

Stewart is currently a student at Carleton University striving for a degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in Physics. In the office we refer to Stewart as the “Jack of All Trades” as he is able to move from the office to the work shop, making sure everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Starting off at Paul Hahn as a part time employee, this is his second year being offered the opportunity to work as our full time summer intern. Stewart has been around pianos his entire life, starting off as a young pianist to dabbling as a piano mover, and finally a proud representative of Paul Hahn & Co. Come say hello when you’re in the area!