Biography
Clive Ackroyd is Head of Piano Technical Services at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Clive also runs his own company, Ackroyd Pianos Ltd. We undertake all aspects of high-end piano work.
Specialising in concert work, Clive works extensively with concert performers providing tuning, voicing, regulating and preparing pianos in concert halls prior to performances and recordings. Re-building of quality grand pianos to the highest standards is also provided.
Clive was Piano Technician for the Royal College of Music in London from 1987 until 2001, where he maintained their extensive piano stock (200 pianos) with Darell Moulton (Darell is also a highly respected vocal coach at RADA). There was an on-site workshop where they carried out full rebuilds on the College's 68 Steinway grand pianos.
He now runs the Piano Technical Department at the Royal Academy of Music where there is also an on-site workshop. Clive and his team maintain all the Academy's pianos and undertake full rebuilds on their stock of grand pianos, which often includes the fitting of new actions. He works closely with the professors and students at the Academy providing helpful advice in many aspects of their work, especially prior to their concert performances, recordings and during exam times.
Clive runs workshops for first study piano students where he covers aspects of piano construction, design and general information on tuning temperaments and other areas of the modern piano; this gives pianists a good general understanding of what goes on inside a modern piano and how the piano 'sound' is created and what is meant by terms such as 'voicing' or 'regulating'.
Imperial College have a music department called the Blythe Music and Arts Centre and it is equipped with ensemble rooms, practice rooms and large performance spaces; and their largest concert hall (The Great Hall) is equipped with a fine Steinway model D concert grand that is maintained to international performance standards by Clive.
Yamaha Pianos have given Clive membership to the Yamaha Piano Technicians Guild (YPTG) which was set up to create a recognised team of qualified technicians that are authorised by Yamaha to work on their hand built SF range of pianos.
Steinway and Sons often ask Clive to undertake work for them in performance or recording venues and he has had a close working relationship with them for many years.
Clive is an associate Technician with Shackell Pianos Ltd
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