In Minnesota I began playing the piano at age 7, studying classical music as well as ragtime which always thrilled my father. After a focus on physics and mathematics at the University of Colorado, in 1986 I made a surprising gear switch by calling a local piano restoration workshop after my piano tuner tuned my piano. At this shop I was taught refinishing and tuning. I opened my own workshop shortly, jumping headlong and fearlessly into the industry. Belly and action restoration soon replaced refinishing as my focus, I hired a refinisher, and my first complete piano restoration workshop was born.

After several years I moved my operation in1991 to Nairobi, Kenya, due to my interest in long-distance running. In 1996 I returned to the US, choosing Seattle as my new home, where I wanted to dig deep roots and build something solid. Opportunities came to deepen my knowledge by spending time in the highly respected piano factories of Steinway USA and Sauter, Germany. After several years, I took my passion a step higher, gathering and training a team of specialists to create Northwest Pianos, a unique piano company in the Pacific Northwest.

Kenn has the pleasure of currently studying classical piano with renowned local Chopin pianist George Fiore, learning the Chopin Etudes, and is planning to perform some future year in the concert series at Northwest Pianos.