About Hutchings

Everyone who enjoys the piano, regardless of your playing level, is warmly welcomed and respected by Hutchings Pianos staff.

The store maxim, Sydney’s Home of Pianos, reflects the Hutchings Pianos ethos:

• The building where the store now stands was originally the Hutchings’ family home. Three generations of Hutchings have operated the business from this one location for over half a century. It is a landmark in the Woollahra and Bondi Junction area and it remains a family owned and run business today
• It is a complete piano store, displaying and supplying an extensive selection of acoustic, digital and player pianos, at different price points, with a range of tone styles to suit each person. Plus piano music, accessories and lessons
• Hutchings Pianos specialise in sourcing pianos with stylish cabinetry designs and veneers to enhance and match your decor. Pianos cannot be hidden away like a flute or guitar. They become an integral part of your family and your home!
• Hutchings staff possess decades of experience. They can advise on the best piano and servicing program for wherever your piano calls ‘home’, be it professional stage use, for a school, teaching studio, house or apartment
• Visit Hutchings Pianos and see how each piano will look and sound, not in an expansive warehouse, but in a real home

Meet the Team

‘We have a commitment to integrity and great customer service. We only employ staff and contractors with similar high standards.’

Wendy Hutchings – Managing Director

Wendy is the eldest daughter of Reg and Pat Hutchings. She was born in Sydney and brought up in the house that is now the Hutchings Pianos store. Wendy learnt about pianos from her father in this unique environment, surrounded by pianos, piano teaching and the Sydney piano community.

Before working in her current role at Hutching Pianos, Wendy followed a career in early childhood education. She has over twenty years experience working as a teacher and director of child care centres, preschools and later became Children’s Services Manager of a local government department. Wendy is also a proud mother of Jody and loving grandmother of Archie.

Always passionate about education, Wendy is dedicated to increasing awareness of the importance of music on early cognitive development. Thus in February 2006 she established Pringle Place Musik for Juniors in the teaching studio adjacent to the Hutchings Pianos store, introducing the joy of music to hundreds of families across Sydney.

In her rare spare time, Wendy and her French husband Claude, enjoy renovating houses, experiencing Sydney’s restaurants and looking after their grandson, Archie.

Jody Whyte – Finance Manager

Jody is Reg Hutchings’ granddaughter and Wendy’s daughter. She unofficially started working at Hutchings when she was five years of age, polishing piano pedals for pocket money. Reg paid her 10 cents for every pedal. This was her introduction to the world of finance!

Officially she started working at Hutchings Pianos on Saturdays when she was a teenager. At university she tried chemical engineering, followed by psychology and later worked for four years in hospitality. Jody returned to the family business in 1995, doing accounts for her uncle’s store, next door to Hutchings Pianos, called Hutchings Keyboards.  She soon realised this was her calling. She studied a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Accounts and Small Business and is now Finance Manager at Hutchings Pianos, working alongside her mother, Wendy Hutchings.

‘I love being part of my family history carrying on my Grandfather’s passion. Being a small family business, I feel like I can give people more personal attention. I believe this is important if you are buying something that many people know very little about, because then they can make an informed purchase. I also love selling something that can bring so much joy to a family. People associate music and song with important parts of their lives. I enjoy helping them create those happy memories.’

Jody is married with a son Archie born in 2008 and two dogs. She enjoys playing piano for enjoyment and listening to classical and 70s or 80s rock music. When asked what she does in her spare time, she says ‘Right now it’s all about Archie!’

Stewart Crooks – Sales Manager

Stewart Crooks is a professional musician who has traveled and performed around Australia and in New Zealand. He has taught drumming and percussion in performance arts schools, privately and in indigenous communities. Prior to working at Hutchings Pianos he worked in medical, legal and public service administration roles, providing him with keen organisational skills.

Stewart holds a Jazz Diploma from the University of Wollongong and has toured with the Wollongong Jazz Quartet. He enjoys listening to Afro-Cuban  jazz grooves and various contemporary “World Music” styles. His most revered artists are Nusrat Ali Fatah Khan, Trilok Gurtu, Fela Kuti and Bob Marley.

Stewart follows the maxim, ‘Silence is Golden’ when it comes to music. He often says to his students, ‘It is all about the space between the notes, not the notes themselves. Listening is the most important element.’

He is not a fan of computers though, frequently quoting ‘To err is human, but it takes a computer to really stuff things up’!

Stewart enjoys working at Hutchings Pianos, particularly meeting so many different customers from diverse backgrounds. He aims to provide the best possible advice and goes the extra mile with customer service.

Jill Marsono – Sales Consultant & Pringle Place Musik Coordinator

Jill started working at Hutchings Pianos in January 2007. Before moving to Australia, she was awarded a prestigious music scholarship, completing her Bachelor of Arts in Music, majoring in voice and piano, at the renowned Berklee College of Music, Boston MA, USA. She has also obtained her Certificate IV in Music Business and Performance and holds her NSW Music Teacher licence with Kindermusik. Jill has performed as a session singer in various bands in USA and Australia. Her favourite styles of music are jazz, R&B, pop and classical. Jill says Hutchings Pianos is a happy environment in which to work, particularly thanks to her friendly, genuine colleagues. She also loves the children at Pringle Place Musik for Juniors and the joyous Kirby. She has her own pet moodle at home called ‘Jack’, which causes some amusement when ‘Jack and Jill’s’ names are said together. In her spare time she enjoys ice-skating, dancing, teaching singing and music theory, reading about history, philosophy or psychology. 

Angie Dean – Kindermusik Educator

Angie Dean teacher Kindermusik classes at Pringle Place Musik for Juniors, in the building adjacent to Hutchings Pianos. Angie is a professional entertainer and has been teaching singing and piano privately to children and adults for the last fifteen years and lecturing in music at tertiary colleges. After completing a Bachelor of Music in Performance, majoring in piano and voice, she has had a career in both performing and teaching. ‘Music is my life…I was invited to teach Kindermusik at Pringle Place Musik for Juniors and since I have a great rapport and love of children, this has been a perfect match…’

Angie is a versatile vocalist, pianist and songwriter in high demand across Sydney and has worked overseas. She performs at 5 Star Hotels, high profile events and functions either as a soloist, duo, or jazz trio. She makes appearances on TV and performs every month for the Lord Mayor of Sydney at the Sydney Town Hall. She has released her own CD of jazz standards entitled “Movin’ Like That”. To read more about Angie visit her website www.angiedean.com.au.

Kirby – Store Mascot

Kirby has become an indispensable member of the Hutchings Pianos team. She welcomes customers, entertains staff with her toys, keeps a check on the rubbish bin in the kitchen, hides umbrellas and ensures everyone knows when it’s time to go home because it’s time for a walk! She is often seen sleeping on the job, but that’s OK because being a store mascot is extremely hard work!