Instrument Repairs at Ted Brown Music

Ian graduated from the University of Idaho with a Music Performance degree in flute in 2012 and completed the repair program at Renton Technical College in 2014. He enjoys performing classical, orchestral and chamber music, as well as traditional Celtic music and is currently a member of the Seattle Festival Orchestra. During his free time, he composes chamber music, plays the mandolin, kayaks, hikes, and plays board and card games with his friends.

Holly Pope is our new repair tech. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians (NAPBIRT) and is a regular participant in conferences and workshops. She earned her Band Instrument Repair Technicians Certificate from Renton Technical College in Renton, WA.

Before joining Ted Brown Music she taught band for 16 years. Her experience working with all grade levels is valuable in helping our clients diagnose and evaluate potential issues to make their musical journey the best it can be. She graduated from Central Washington University with her degrees in Music Education and Japanese. She got her masters in Music Education from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. She was also the associate conductor for the Renton City Band and started a successful adult jazz group as well.

In her spare time she enjoys cooking, traveling and playing clarinet or saxophone.

Chris Lehotsky has been repairing musical instruments since 2013. A graduate of the Band Instrument Repair program at Renton Technical College, he has worked in shops large and small across the country, including a trombone manufacturing facility. Though he is a lifelong classical pianist and trombonist, Chris most enjoys repairing flutes and saxophones, making them as mechanically sound as possible.

Chris is a regular attendee of the NAPBIRT national conference, and has presented several clinics to repair students there on entering the repair field and making the most of that first year in a new shop. Chris is also a substitute instructor for the RTC repair class.

Tony studied music theory and performed in the jazz band and wind ensemble at Olympic College in Bremerton, WA. After graduating from Renton Technical College in 2005 and earning an Associate’s Degree in Band Instrument Repair Technology, he apprenticed in the Renton area. Tony then joined Ted Brown Music’s repair shop in Tacoma in 2007.

In 2010 he moved to the repair shop in Silverdale where he continues to hone his skills repairing woodwind and brass instruments. As a saxophone player focused on Bari and Tenor, he has played with local big bands and swing groups, as well as funk, rock, reggae and ska groups.

In 2000, Matt began learning instrument repair with a four-year apprenticeship at a family music store in Reno, NV. In 2008, he joined Ted Brown Music, where he refined and expanded his skills under the mentorship of Chris Arent. From 2008 to 2024, he ran the repair shop at the Puyallup location, serving students, schools, hobbyists, and professionals. His experience ranges across woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments.

Matt has been a NAPBIRT member for most of his career and attends their annual conference and regional training events as often as possible, as well as actively participating in forums online in an effort to stay on top of new tools and techniques and to remain grounded in the traditions of the craft. Our company’s repair mantra is to do the best work we can with the instrument in front of us. Matt takes this to heart, striving to do the same quality of work whether it’s on a student’s first trumpet or a pro’s vintage saxophone.

Outside of work, he can most often be found spending time with his family, or paddling his kayak on Puget Sound and our area's many lakes.

Scott has been repairing instruments at Ted Brown Music since 1992 and is a graduate of Renton Technical College. Being a guitar player, Scott originally wanted to build and repair guitars but soon found out he really enjoyed fixing woodwinds and brass. Away from work Scott likes to collect Beatles memorabilia, play jazz and blues on his guitars, and spend time with his wife and two daughters.

Caitlynn Akehurst graduated from Tacoma School of the Arts with an emphasis on piano performance and songwriting in 2011. She had joined Ted Brown Music as a sales associate in 2010, and when there was an opening in the shop to help out, she started doing simple string repairs and decided that instrument repair was for her. She has been a full-time apprentice in the shop since the fall of 2013 and has so far worked successfully with strings, brass, and small woodwinds.

In her free time, Caitlynn creates textile crafts and natural skin care products and she enjoys exploring Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park.

No biography available.

Roy Dilley has been repairing brass and woodwinds since 1999. He is a graduate of Renton Technical College and has worked in shops in Chicago and Davenport, Iowa, as well as the Seattle area. Roy is a graduate of PLU’s music department with a BMA. He is a saxophonist and woodwind player, and has been active as a performer and private instructor. He has studied with many area musicians, notably Greg Sinibaldi and Don Lanphere.

When Roy is not at the bench or behind the stand, he is an artist and collector of mid-century modern objects and furniture.

In 2019, Nicolas studied woodwind and brasswind repair at Renton Technical College under instructor Jessica Ganska. After completing the program, he joined the Ted Brown Music Repair Shop under the mentorship of Lead Technician Chris Arent. In 2020, Nicolas began studying guitar repair under the mentorship of luthier Steve Mueller.

Nicolas' ties with Ted Brown Music run deeper than just repair. In adolescence, he was involved with Live It Outloud, Ted Brown Music's 8-week summer music program. After aging out of the program, he continued as a performing guitarist for several years before pursuing his passion for instrument repair.

Mercedes Carl is our newest full time technician specializing in brass and woodwind repairs. She is a graduate of Renton Technical College with a certificate in Band Instrument Repair Technology. Mercedes apprenticed for two years in the central valley of California before joining Ted Brown Music. Mercedes has studied Music at Modesto Junior College and preformed with various community ensembles. She teaches private woodwind lessons and volunteers her repair skills at local band festivals and school performances.

Hello I'm Tim Bolinger. I'm originally from a small town called Spring Grove, Pennsylvania and played saxophone and tuba in school. I learned to repair instruments through an apprenticeship under my future father in-law. He owned an instrument repair shop in Brick, New Jersey and I studied under him for 3 years. Most recently I worked for Menchey Music in Hanover, PA. I'm excited to be part of Ted Brown Music and look forward to my time here!

Dustin moved to the Yakima Valley in the summer of 2015 from St. Louis, Missouri. He has a degree in Jazz Performance from Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville. He has performed with many musicians from the STL area playing all types of music. He’s now both a regular upright bass player around the Northwest as well as the bass and cello teacher at Ted Brown Music in Yakima.

Dustin has years of experience in woodworking and repair. Upon moving to the Pacific North West he began apprenticing under Josh Hegg at Ted Brown Music in Tacoma to refine his skills with instrument repair.

No biography available.