Jim Callahan
Founder & President
Jim Callahan was born in Washington DC but came to Oakland at the age of three months. He earned a degree in architecture from UC Berkeley in 1979 but having founded Piedmont Piano Company in 1978 he has worked here ever since.
Jim is a lover of all kinds of music, particularly jazz, and he enjoys attempting to play the piano works of Bach, Chopin, Schubert, Scott Joplin, and Fats Waller. He is proud to serve on the board of the Oakland nonprofit Living Jazz. He also collects classic cars and has traded a Bosendorfer for a 1969 Porsche and a Yamaha Disklavier to racing legend Phil Hill for a 1919 Locomobile.
Ross Gualco
Sales
Ross brings a wealth of musical, electronic, and sales experience to Piedmont Piano Company. He had his first paid gig at age 9 and has been a professional musician ever since. His experience as musical director for numerous bay area shows, such as Teatro Zinzanni and the currently running Circus Cabaret SF, put him in high demand by bay area singers and performers.
Ross was also the sales manager for Pro Audio Electronics in Oakland which gave him much experience in electronics sales and repairs.
Ross taught himself how to tune pianos at an early age so he could touch up the tuning of pianos before he played. Though not a technician he uses those skills to help keep the pianos at the store in top shape.
Katharine Wells
1942 - 2019
Katharine is greatly missed by the entire PPCO family since her passing in October 2019. For over twenty years Katharine managed the Piedmont Piano Company office. She is pictured here with Vinaya, the daughter of our studios manager, who always provided invaluable assistance on all of Katharine’s projects and misses her most of all.
Kevin Parr
Rental Manager
Kevin Parr supports our customers and friends by organizing the logistics of their piano rentals.
As the newest and youngest member of the team, Kevin feels fortunate to have so many seasoned piano veterans sharing their expertise; and, he’s happy to stereotypically fill the “digital technology” role.
Prior to Piedmont Piano Company, Kevin worked as a community organizer and a business consultant.
If you encounter him outside of the store you can find Kevin brewing beer, hiking with his wife and golden retriever, constructing wooden objects for local businesses, and convincing everyone around him that Oakland is the best city on the planet.
Sharmila G. Lash
The Studios Manager
Since 2012, Sharmila G. Lash has managed The Studios and has helped manage our active concert series.
Sharmila is a freelance vocalist and voice over artist. Along with being a voice teacher in Oakland, she often travels to Southern California, as a member of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and as a session singer for film and television soundtracks.
When she’s not sending invoices or racking up frequent flyer miles, she enjoys cooking and dining out with her husband and daughter, dabbling in various arts and crafts, and trying to keep her daughter from running amok in the piano store.
Norman Landsberg
1949 - 2023
Before joining Piedmont Piano Company in 1998, Norman spent may years as a touring musician, filling not only the role of music director, but those of sideman and featured performer equally well. He was happy to be able to use his extensive experience as a professional musician to help our clients identify the best instruments for their needs.
Norman had a great love of jazz and could often be found performing at various Bay Area music venues. In the identity of his alter ego Manny Moka, he had realized his lifelong dream of leading a Latin big band, appearing at festivals and local clubs, and recording two CDs with his red hot ten piece aggregation Manny Moka and the Band on Fire.