At seven every morning, Haig Apelian opens the door of his workshop, turns on the music, and goes to work. He mainly listens to classical music, especially Bach.

Apelian’s workshop is a resuscitation department for distressed pianos of all types. 

"First you need to know the meaning of renovation. This is the most important thing. You should make the piano look new, not just say I repaired a part. You must love your work, be dedicated to it. You should always do your best," says the 62-year-old who moved to Yerevan from Aleppo.

His workspace is in a district of Yerevan where many Syrian Armenians have set up shop. in Yerevan.

Apelian inherited his love of music from his mother, who played the accordion. His mother had an accordion and played it often. He studied metalworking for several years, which later became useful in piano repair.

Apelian, encouraged by a neighbor, then took piano lessons and soon started to dismantle and reassemble the family’s piano.

After returning from military service in Syria, he focused on the craft. He asked his brother living in New York to send him piano parts. His brother informed him about a monthly magazine devoted to piano repair and tuning. Apelian was hooked and has renewed his subscription ever since.

He takes out one of the magazines from a thick blue folder in the closet. 

"The magazine was aimed at repairing or restoring a piano. This was a school in itself," says the craftsman, noting that much can be achieved via self-education.

He opened first workshop in Aleppo in the 1990s.

Customers from Aleppo and all over Syria beat a path to his door. Apelian also established contacts with the South Korean Samick company and soon became its representative in Syria. Samick also cooperated with the German Bechstein company and Apelian became its representative too. He brought Samick pianos to Syria for sale and was recognized the company’s top seller in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Apelian proudly displays these awards in his workshop.

Haig Apelian was awarded by Samick as the best seller. Now these awards are placed in the visible part of the cabinet.

The civil war in Syria prompted Apelian to relocate his family to Armenia. The craftsman was unemployed for the first eighteen months. He’s reluctant to talk about the initial difficulties. His wife Berjouhie talks about those challenging months.

Apelian says not having a job did not disappoint him. "When we decided to come to Armenia, there was no turning back. We will be in Armenia, we are Armenians," he adds.

The only problem he initially faced was that his tools were in Syria. He had them shipped a little at a time. "When your craft is in you, it goes everywhere with you," he says. It’s the work that matters, whether in Syria or Armenia.

A three-meter-long piece of equipment, made especially for him, takes pride of place in the workshop. He uses it to produce piano bass strings. Apelian imports most of his raw materials from Germany.

Apelian also repairs pianos from local music schools. Oftentimes, when the job orders pile up, the craftsman works until late at night.

"I don't love but adore this work. Everything is interesting. It’s demanding work. First, you must love it, then you automatically go deeper. We always have something to learn. The important thing is to have the right things so that you achieve a good result," says Apelian.

He has no apprentices, but his three daughters are interested in the craft, especially the youngest.

When working, time passes unnoticed. He says it’s like that when you love your vocation.