Robert Wech
began his education as an organ designer and builder in l984 with the firm of
Hubert Sandtner in Dillingen/Donau and in the Technical School for Musical
Instrument Design and Production in Ludwigsburg, where he learned the
fundamentals of his profession.
After passing his journeyman’s examination and
completing his required Army service (with the First Music Corps in Hannover) he worked for several years with his first
mentors in the Hubert Sandtner firm before he began his journeyman years with
other firms.
Andreas M.
Ott’s workshop in Bensheim and the firm of Rieger Organ Builders in Austria
were his next stops before returning to the Technical School in Ludwigsburg to
take the Master’s Course and be awarded his Master’s Certificate in Organ
Craftsmanship.
With this
certificate, he went to the firm of Martin Pasi in Tacoma, Washington, where he
became especially interested in historical techniques for organ building. This knowledge and interest is still an
essential part of his work.
After returning to Europe in 1997, he resumed working with Rieger, in Austria, before becoming an independent contractor with various domestic and foreign firms. After these many years of schooling and on-the-job experience in all aspects of organ craftsmanship, he opened his own firm in 2001 with a number of assistants.
