Caradine Biography
Barry and Roberta met at The London College of Furniture, whilst attending the Piano Technology course, during 1984 to 1988. At the end of their studies, they married, moved to Essex, and eventually settled in Suffolk, where they still live.

Roberta started her career as an external tuner for a large, established company based in Chelmsford. She worked in private homes, schools, theatres and concert venues throughout Essex and Hertfordshire. In 1990, she passed the Pianoforte Tuners’ Association test and later was a member of its Council. In 1999, she became President of the Piano Tuners’ Association until her retirement in 2004. She was also Vice President of Europiano from 2002 to 2008, a post that enabled her to expand her contacts with Piano Technicians and Manufacturers across Europe.
Barry began his career with Blüthner, moving to Bösendorfer, the prestigious Austrian piano manufacturer. As their UK Concert Technician, he was responsible for all technical work, including concert and recording preparation throughout the UK. In 1991, Barry passed the Pianoforte Tuners’ Association test, attaining one of the highest ever recorded marks. He then became an Examiner - a post he still holds - and a member of the Examiners’ Test Committee, responsible for developing the Pianoforte Tuners’ Association Technician test. For many years, Barry was involved on the committee, setting up and developing the Europiano Degree.
In 1995, Barry and Roberta established the Caradine Piano Group, which comprises:

The Piano Gallery - offering the sale of grand and upright pianos, both restored and new, and a leasing and event hire service.

Caradine Piano Tuning Services - a piano tuning service dealing with the home, education milieu and concert stage, supported by the technical back up of:

Caradine Piano Specialists - the UK’s leading piano restoration workshop, covering restoration, re-manufacture, and modern case finishing.

Self Playing Piano Biography
Barry’s interest in self playing piano developed during his time with Bösendorfer. Indeed, as he was responsible for the maintenance of two Bösendorfer SE pianos in the UK, he realised how this was the original high definition reproducing piano, years ahead of its time, offering playback, with recording capabilities others still aspired to.

As a PianoDisc fitter for Bösendorfer, Barry trained with PianoDisc at the Bösendorfer factory in Vienna, and has fitted these systems ever since.

Barry learnt about the LX systems during its creation and development by Wayne Stanke, in Reno. He visited Wayne Stanke in order to see and hear the system and to work with him.

Barry’s confidence and endorsement of the LX system is unsurpassed, thus recommending it to all his clients and without hesitation, urges anybody to move to this system.

Wayne Stanke Biography
Wayne Stanke has been inventing, designing, and building electronic reproducing pianos since the early 1970s. The best known of his instruments are the Bösendorfer SE pianos that were built in the 1980s under license from him.

He delivered the first custom-built SE instrument to a private customer in June of 1978. For many years, Wayne personally provided support and upgrades for it, and every reproducing piano that he has ever designed.
Live Performance has, since, taken over the role of support and continues the tradition of a high level of attentive customer care.

From 1991 to 2001 Wayne worked for Yamaha Corporation of Japan as a member of the Disklavier design team in Hamamatsu. He was involved, in particular, in the design of the Disklavier Pro, Yamaha’s answer to the Bösendorfer SE. Some of his patents also found their way into Yahama’s non-Pro Disklavier instruments.

Wayne founded Live Performance in 1992 to provide the business structure required to commercialize his work. The Model LX is Live Performance’s latest product offering. It is the distillation of inventions and techniques developed and refined, over the past 30 years, in combination with new approaches that were not possible as recently as a few years ago, until the advent of modern high-speed FPGA technology.