What our clients have to say about us!

“Brian has worked on my instruments for several years and his work is of the highest quality. I know I can always trust him to diagnose the problem quickly and get my instruments working to their highest potential so that I can do my job. He is a true artist!"

Russ deLuna - English Horn, San Francisco Symphony

Brian is truly a Master Repairman.  I've been sending my oboe to him for several years and it always comes back feeling brand new.  I highly recommend him to anybody who wants quality workmanship from a consummate professional.  

Jonathan Fischer - Principal Oboe Houston Symphony and Affiliate Artist at Moores School of Music, University of Houston

“I  have worked with Brian Seaton many times over the years. He is absolutely brilliant. Extremely intuitive, conscientious and intelligent, Brian makes everything work better than you could have possibly imagined. His attention to detail in all areas of repair always leave my instruments feeling smooth and beautifully resonant. A Master Repairperson, indeed!”

Sara Jeffrey - Principal oboe, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

“Brian Seaton is superb at oboe repair. He is meticulous, focused and very knowledgeable. Brian is an accomplished oboist and his experience as a performer adds to the quality of his repair work. At the end of an appointment with Brian, my instruments seal beautifully and the keys have just the right amount of agility. Brian’s skill and precision allow me to do my best work in the concert hall.”

Terry Maskin - Oboe & English horn, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra

"Brian Seaton is a master oboe and english horn repairperson. The work Brian has performed on every one of my instruments over the years, i.e. tuning, crack repair, mechanical, pad adjustment and replacement as well as 'general upkeep', has always been consistent and is always of the very highest quality.  His 'touch' leaves my instruments feeling extremely easy to play, leaving me free to focus on the music making and not the typical idiosyncrasies of the instrument.  I highly recommend Brian's services to oboists of all stripes.  Thanks Brian and congratulations on the new website!"

Brian James - Oboe & English Horn, Symphony Nova Scotia

"I highly recommend Brian's work to all of my students and colleagues.  The results of his repair and maintenance work are superb, and always surpass my expectations. Every time he works on my oboe, I feel like I have a brand new instrument.  In addition, he always does repairs by the date promised, and I trust him implicitly with my instruments."
Celeste Johnson - Assistant Professor of Oboe, University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory

"Brian Seaton is a world-class repairman. He has done very beautiful work for my students and me for years and he has my greatest respect and thanks."

Dr. Eric Ohlsson - Charles O. Delaney Professor of Oboe, Florida State University

Brian has been working on my instruments and my students’ instruments since 2005. He has been able to diagnose and solve every issue we’ve brought to him so far (just imagine if he was a medical doctor with that track record!), and I trust him more than any other repair person. He is detailed and precise with his repairs, efficient with his time, and a genuinely kind and wonderful person to work with. I also highly recommend having him do an adjustment and repair masterclass. He has done many for my university studio over the years, and the students have left with such a greater appreciation and understanding of their instruments. I cannot recommend Brian enough; he is truly an artist!

Dr. Lara Dahl - Principal Senior Lecturer of Music, Georgia State University

“Brian and his shop have provided excellent care for my instruments for many years. He works in a professional and timely manner, which is great when I only have a small window where I can be without an instrument. He is willing to help diagnose small problems and discuss adjustments remotely, which my university students have really enjoyed.”

Leah Forsyth - Assistant Professor of Music, Northwestern State University Natchitoches, LA

“Brian has been working on my instruments for years now. He is a highly skilled as a repairman, and is also an accomplished performer, which aides in his ability to diagnose and fix problems with the instrument. He understands the demands of a working professional oboist and can adjust the instrument as needed. He has done much work for me over the years, from crack repair and inserts, to re-padding, to general maintenance. I highly trust his judgement of what work my oboe or English horn needs, and am always happy with the work performed. I am also thankful that I can send my students to see him, and know that when they get their instrument returned the oboe will function well and play wonderfully. Anytime my instruments see Brian they are happy, as am I. 

Kari Kistler - Oboe/English horn, Charleston Symphony Orchestra

“Brian Seaton has done much work for me in the past. His ability to achieve such high standards on different makes of oboes is most impressive. He once got 3 minutes of suction of the top joint of my Yamaha! He is definitely a Master Repairman. “

James Mason - Principal Oboe, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, retired, Yamaha Artist

"The work was exceptional in every regard, each pad fitted with painstaking precision and minute detail. When Brian was finished, the seal was perfect and the mechanism beautifully regulated. The oboe has never played better. He has honed his skills with the experts, and now commands technical savvy on a par with any of this generation's master repairmen."

Michael Shawn Welk - Assistant Professor of Oboe, University of Oklahoma

"After using many other oboe repairmen, Brian Seaton is the only one that I now use to do all my repair work. His work is simply the best. When I send my instrument to him, I know that it will come back in prime form. Since Brian is a fine oboist himself, unlike many repairmen who only play well enough to test adjustments, there is never a need to explain what a good oboe 'feels like.' We all know that quality performances can only be achieved with the aid of quality equipment. Money should be no object. That being said, Brian still somehow remains competitively priced and a real pleasure to work with."

Jim Sullivan - Principal Oboe, Alabama Symphony Orchestra

"In the thirty years I have been visiting oboe repair shops I have found Brian Seaton to be one of the most intuitive and efficient technicians in the business."

Sherie Aguirre - Principal Oboe, Virginia Symphony Orchestra

"Clearly one of the most insightful and capable repairman in the country."

George J. Corbett - English Horn & Oboe, Virginia Symphony

"Brian Seaton is truly a fantastic and gifted technician. My oboes always play beautifully after he has worked on them."

Kelly Odell - Hilton Head Symphony, Augusta State University

“I've known Brian since he was a teenager, and he has always had an enthusiasm for the oboe and getting things right. He has become a master oboe technician who can get an oboe working from the ground up by first getting the mechanism tight and then and only then getting each and every pad seated and sealed.  After he worked on my English horn before I had to perform “The Swan of Tuonela” - I have never had an instrument seal and respond so beautifully. Congratulations Brian, and keep up the great work for the oboe community."

Mark Christianson
Solo English Horn and Oboe, U.S. Marine Band, Washington D.C.
Former Solo English Horn, Associate Principal Oboe, Hong Kong Philharmonic

I’ve known Brian since his early days as a repairman, and I remember thinking back then what a talent! Now as a Master Repairman, his work is brilliant. He worked on my oboe recently- some tuning and pad work. The oboe feels like a different instrument. The response and scale are incredible. In fact, it has been many years since I’ve had such a fine instrument. I look forward to every visit to Brian’s shop, not only because I know I will be thrilled with my instruments, but also because he is such a delightful person to work with. He is very considerate of his customers and I believe he works on each instrument to perfection, as if it was his own. Thank you, Brian!

Carole Libelo
Assistant Principal Oboe/ English Horn The Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, retired