James Nicoloro

 

East Cambridge Piano was established in 1978 by James Nicoloro. While attending Berklee College of Music in Boston for percussion and arranging, James also worked as an apprentice piano tuner and technician. Discovering that there was a demand for reasonably priced student pianos, he began finding old neglected upright pianos from churches, schools and hotels and reconditioning them in a small garage in East Cambridge. Soon after the business moved to a family owned store-front on Cambridge Street in East Cambridge, a neigborhood where his family had a very well known local market. The exposure over the next 10 years made it necessary for the business to move to a much larger facility to encompass rebuilding and refinishing. Eventually that building was sold to a developer and the shop moved two miles down the road in Somerville to a grand old building which was built by "The Knights of Malta". The business today still has the same philosophy it did when it began in 1978, to bring music into peoples lives at a good value.

Rob String

 

 After 22 years as a software engineer and project manager, Rob pursued his passion for music and the piano by returning to school and receiving his professional certification as a piano technician and tuner from the North Bennet Street School in Boston. He interned at Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where he assisted in pre-season preparation of numerous pianos at the Tanglewood venues. In addition to his busy tuning schedule and concert work, Rob specializes in the engineering aspects of pianos. He is an accomplished technician in regulation, reconditioning, and repairs.

Jay Natale

 

 After graduating from Berklee College of Music with a B.A. in Music Production and Engineering, Jay became an audio engineer where he honed his critical listening skills. He has been playing the drums for many years, but somehow knew that some day he would learn to play the piano. That day came when he bought his first piano at East Cambridge Piano from James Nicoloro. James took Jay under his wing and taught him the time-honored tradition of piano craftsmanship. Jay promptly enrolled in the North Bennet Street School in the North End of Boston, where under the guise of master technicians, he received his piano technician certification. He then became a member of the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG). Jay has built (and continues to build) long-term relationships with every customer, one customer at a time.