Edmund Handy - professional early keyboard instrument maker and restorer

Edmund was born into a musical family and began learning the piano at the age of five; he later studied piano and composition at the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music in London. He studied harpsichord making at the London College of Furniture (now the London Metropolitan University) and was awarded the Licentiateship of the City & Guilds. He now has over 30 years’ experience as a professional early keyboard instrument maker and restorer.

He specialises in the building of clavichords, which are hand-made using designs based on historical instruments. He was a founder committee member of the British Clavichord Society, and he was its chairman from 1998 to 2001.

Edmund has repaired and serviced celestes for clients including Glyndebourne, the Royal Opera House and English National Opera, and for most of the major UK orchestras. In February 2005 he was appointed UK service representative for Schiedmayer Celesta GmbH after training at their factory in Stuttgart. He recently designed and began production of his own celeste based on original late 19th century instruments.

Biography

He has restored many important historical instruments including a late-18th century clavichord (which he restored on-site in a medieval Saxon town in Romania), the only known surviving spinet by William Smith, made in c1720, and a very rare and unusual spinet-shaped ‘transverse grand piano’ made in 1777 by Crang Hancock.

He is also a highly experienced tuner of harpsichords, early pianos and clavichords for concerts and recording sessions.