What is your connection with the piano?

Both of my parents were musicians. My father was a choir conductor and my mother was a pianist. My wife is also a pianist and a piano teacher. Our two sons play the piano. So I have been and I am surrounded by music. I have been playing piano since I was 5 years old, for the past 50 years.

What has guided your exploration?

It was a drive to go further. I have got a lot of support from different people, universities, and grants to keep going. There is something about art that gives meaning to life. The older we get we start to think about what exactly are we contributing or can contribute. Art answers a lot of these kinds of questions and it gives you a meaning.

I have told my factory craftsman here what a great way of living is by creating such high-quality instruments. It is a privilege that we can do that and dedicate our lives to it. Therefore this combination gives so much back because it fulfills somewhat your meaning. With all the assistance we have nowadays it still requires a lot of dedication, practice and hard work.

When I was starting with the company I was curious to find an answer to how to build a business that lasts. That was my challenge early on. Piano factories have long histories and instrument making is an old tradition. I asked myself how can we build something that can progress and go further and stay?

How did you develop your passion?

There was a turning moment when my parents got a grand piano, it was an Estonia. Before that, we had an upright piano, so changing to grand changed the whole spectrum of colors, sounds, and sonorities. My mother played one piece which I was so amazed by and it turned out it was a Chopin etude nr 1C Major. At that time I was 13.

When I was around 17 I played all 24 Chopin etudes at concerts. So that got me very interested but it also had to do with changing the instrument. Later after my studies with Arvo Valdmaa in Belgrade and Juilliard School in New York, I noticed that I could express music and I can touch people with this as an audience, as an individual - it’s a special feeling when you can offer something to people which matters to them.

How to pursue an inner calling?

Fear could be healthy. Overconfidence can be dangerous. I would suggest reading a lot of literature. I have spent a lot of time in bookshops reading about business, finance, banks, etc. I think reading can give you a lot of theoretical insights for practical doing. If you spend time reading good materials it can be very helpful.

What creates a meaningful life?

It is a complex question and we can certainly go back and say that art provides a lot of meaning. Certainly so. But I also very much value the family, my two sons, that my mother is still alive, and that I got to work many years together with my father. All of this is very meaningful for me.

I find it amazing that Estonia as a small country has its language and its own culture and traditions. Having lived in America for so long I find that combination wonderful that we can share this with Americans and bring some of their aspects also to Estonia.

‘‘Are you making a difference?
Perhaps that is the key to mastery.‘‘