Hall Piano Staff

Steven O. Kinchen

President/Co-Owner
Steve@hallpiano.com
Hall Piano Company Family Member Since 1990

Steinway Factory Training:
Retail Sales Professional Bachelor
Retail Sales Professional Masters
Retail Management Bachelors
Degrees Held:
W.S.U. Bachelors
W.S.U. Masters

Steve joined Hall Piano Company in 1990 with the goal of developing the electronic musical instrument department.  Building on his experience with world-renown composer and electronic music pioneer Dr. Stephen Dankner.  Steve successfully  formed strategic alliances with the top electronic musical instrument manufacturer in the world, Kurzweil Music Systems.  Having been recognized by Kurzweil Music Systems as a top ten dealer numerous times, Steve has also been the recipient of countless sales and service awards throughout his career.

“I began my career in the Music industry as many of my colleagues, simply working my way through college.  Little did I know then that a great love affair for this industry would develop and take such firm hold of me that I now can not envision myself doing anything else in the world.”

Steve’s success in the keyboard industry was mirrored in the piano industry as well in the late 1990’s through today.  Steve’s leadership resulted in Hall Piano Company being recognized in 2003 as a Top Ten Dealer for the world’s largest piano manufacturer, Young Chang and in 2007, being awarded the highly coveted Steinway & Sons Partners in Performance Award.  

“The true measure of our success as I see it is our partnership with the worlds’ most respected piano manufacturer Steinway & Sons.  The commitment that John Wright and I have made not only to our staff and business, but also to service in our community, led us in the natural direction of being singled out in the state of Louisiana as the premier piano dealer.  This distinction was consummated on September 14th, 2004 as our Steinway dealership appointment was finalized.”

Steve is a graduate of New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, attended Eastman School of Music in Rochester New York on full scholarship as one of four George Eastman Scholars for his entering class and has studied with many great artists such as Dr. Stephen Dankner, James VanDemark, Ellis Marsallis, Harold Batiste, Stephen Weiss, Delfayo Marsallis, Emily O’Bannon, and Dr. Bert Braud.  Steve’s numerous awards include the prestigious Rene Louapre Award for outstanding musicianship.

With all of the responsibilities of a business owner, Steve also still finds time to be active in his local church body where he has served as music director since 1997.  His versatility as a musician means that you are just as likely to see him playing piano as bass or guitar.

“As a native New Orleanian, I can say that I have never been more excited about the possibilities for the future of New Orleans and the surrounding areas.  We are proud to be an integral part of the rebirth of our great American city.”

Married since 1995 to his wife Gina, Steve is a devoted husband and father of  three sons, all of which show an active interest in Hall Piano Company and the piano business.

 

John D. Wright, Jr

Vice-President/Co-Owner

Service/ Restoration/Customer Fulfillment Director
Johnny@hallpiano.com
Hall Piano Company Family Member Since 1959

Steinway Factory Training:
Factory Orientation
Retail Sales Professional
Reatil Sales Bachelors
Retail Management Bachelors
Degrees Held:
W.S.U. Bachelors

Growing up in a family business can sometimes be a challenge, however, John Jr. has always had a passion for the business that his father co-founded in 1958.  John Jr. has spent most of his life pursuing excellence in learning every aspect of the piano business.  Through his career he has served in every capacity associated with running a successful piano sales and service organization, from delivery manager, to refinisher,  to piano rebuilder. 

John’s factory training is extensive and includes training at Steinway’s factory in New York, the PianoDisc factory in Sacramento California, and the QRS factory in Seneca PA.

Dwight Clements

Product Specialist
Sales and Service
Dwight@hallpiano.com
Hall Piano Company Family Member Since 2003

Steinway Factory Training:
Factory Orientation
Retail Sales Professional

Dwight joined the Hall Piano Company team in 2003 bringing with him over 25 years of experience in the retail music business.  His extensive product knowledge and unique ability to assist his clients in selecting exactly the right piano makes Mr. Clements a very valuable resource for first time piano shoppers.

With over 38 years experience as director of music for local churches, Dwight talents can be enjoyed weekly at Nativity of Our Lord Church in Kenner Louisiana.  Dwight has also been playing with bands since his early teens. He has performed with show bands for the last fourteen years, including Duel Exhaust. Dwight has also done studio work and has played for several charity organizations in the New Orleans area. He also does a great job of singing lead and back-up vocals. 

Most Recently, Dwight was cast in a leading role opposite of up and coming child-star Lindsey Lohan in a local film entitled “Just My Luck” released by 20th Century Fox.

Dwight is also an avid collector of DVDs and movies and has a home collection rivaling that of a large Blockbuster.

Brett Guillory

Digital Piano/Keyboard Dept. Manager
Office Manager (A/P, A/R)
Office Ninja
brett@hallpiano.com
Hall Piano Company Family Member  Since 2002

Steinway Factory Training:
Factory Orientation
Retail Sales Professional

Brett joined Hall Piano Company in May 2002 as manager of sales and service of the Kurzweil keyboard department. Before joining Hall Piano Company, Brett was already an owner and fan of Kurzweil instruments. His technical and operational expertise with the Kurzweil and Roland brands of instruments made him a perfect fit to take over the role previously occupied by Steve Kinchen.

In November of 2004, Mr. Guillory also took on the duties of office manager at Hall Piano Company, putting to use his extensive computer skills and keeping day-to-day accounts payable and accounts receivable operations running smoothly. Other roles Brett plays as needed are Hall Piano Company website maintainer, as well as graphics editor.

Brett began playing in bands in 2000 when he was asked to join the start-up group Fire and Ice. This led to the purchase of his first synthesizer, a Kurzweil K2000S. Brett currently plays with Abigail's Ghost, a progressive rock/metal band hailing from Thibodaux, LA with two albums and a live DVD under their collective belt. Brett is also keyboardist and vocalist for local '80s tribute band Flashback where he sports a wig and transforms into "Brett Perry" to bring music and pop culture's most radical decade back to the future.

Brett is also a martial arts enthusiast and currently trains in Genbukan ninpo taijutsu. One of only a handful of true ninja students in Louisiana, Brett always welcomes people who would be interested in joining his training group.

Service And Technical Staff
Teachers