The wonderful "Musikhaus Thurnheer" in Zurich's Old Town

Have you ever heard of a profession called “wind instrument repairer”? I first learned about it when I stepped into the wonderful “Musikhaus Thurnheer” at Froschaugasse 28 in the Old Town of Zurich, Switzerland. A new, fascinating world opened up to me.

The “Music House Thurnheer” in Zurich’s Old Town - it opened on May 1, 1990.

With its uniquely designed storefront, the music house attracts large numbers of both tourists and locals. It is dedicated to the Belgian Adolphe Sax (1814–1894), who became world-famous for inventing the saxophone.

A wind instrument repairer in high demand

When I decided to ask Roland Thurnheer, the owner of the fabulous music house, if he’d be willing to let me make a video about him, I was a little nervous. That’s because the long-time residents of Zurich’s Old Town—also known as “Niederdorf” — seemed to me to be very special people who sometimes even came across as a little intimidating. But there was nothing to worry: Roland Thurnheer turned out to be open, friendly, charming, and humorous.

Roland Thurnheer repairing wind instruments in his music house in Zurich’s Old Town

Roland Thurnheer, 72, is a certified wind instrument repairer – or, as his website puts it in German, a “eidg. dipl. Blasinstrumentenreparateur”. He is in high demand. It was quite difficult to find time to film him because he was swamped with work.

World-famous customers

Roland Thurnheer and the American jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp: the photo above was taken in the second half of the 1990s at the music house. He had other world-famous customers like Benny Bailey, Horst Fischer, and the tenor saxophonist Neal Sugarman, who played in Amy Winehouse’s band.

I was deeply impressed by this dedication, signed by Soňa Červená—the great-granddaughter of Václav Červený—in Prague in October 2008. In it, she expresses to Roland Thurnheer her gratitude for repairing her great-grandfather's helicon trumpet. Václav Červený (1819–1896) was a prominent Czech inventor and brass instrument maker, as well as a rival of Adolphe Sax. His brand, V.F. Červený, still exists today.

Music is in his blood

Alongside his day job, Roland Thurnheer plays various instruments—such as the trumpet, accordion, “Schüttelei” (a rhythm instrument), and “Frosch” (for sound effects)—in different bands; he even yodels! Music was in his blood from the very start; his entire family—parents and siblings alike—made music and performed on a wide variety of instruments.

A childhood dream came true

Roland Thurnheer with his wife Eva Haessig in front of the music house in Zurich’s Old Town

Although he was born in Kreuzlingen in northeastern Switzerland, the "Dörfli" (meaning little village) —as locals affectionately call the Niederdorf—has become his home. The same applies to Eva Haessig, his wife of 22 years. For 20 years, from 1998 to 2018, she ran the legendary "Bauernschänke" restaurant at Rindermarkt 24 in Zurich’s Old Town. I have noticed that she attends all his concerts and picks him up after work every day so they can enjoy an aperitif together at the Madrid restaurant, located opposite his music shop.

Roland Thurnheer’s childhood dream of living and working in Zurich’s Old Town—and running his own workshop there—has come true. At the start of his professional career, however, things looked very different.

Instead of telling you more about Roland Thurnheer and his wonderful Music HouseI— don't want to spoil the surprise—just watch the video.

“Schnabel” and “Kessel” and a final question

In the video, I didn't want to go into the technical details of repairing wind instruments—that is too complex—but I did learn that there are two basic types of mouthpieces: “Schnabel”, beak-shaped mouthpieces and “Kessel”, cup mouthpieces.

"Beak" mouthpieces are primarily used for woodwind instruments like the clarinet and saxophone, while "cup" mouthpieces are used for brass instruments like the trumpet, tuba, etc.

Finally, a quiz question: What does Roland Thurnheer hold in his hand during the interviews? If you know the answer, please write it in the comments.

It's an amazing world!