Kayoko Forrest

Kayoko Forrest was born in Japan and always felt drawn to music and in particular the piano. After moving with her mother to the United States, Kayoko played in the school music program. Interestingly, Richard Davenport, who would later become a mentor to Kayoko, was her teacher. While earning her music degree at California State University Northridge, she worked every other Saturday at David Abell’s famous piano store in Beverly Hills. It was a wonderful learning opportunity and David became a great inspiration for Kayoko and her developing career. After David retired she pursued the art of piano restoration and rebuilding, teaming up with her old teacher Richard Davenport who by this time established himself as a well-respected piano technician. When Richard retired, Kayoko was recommended as his replacement as a piano technician for the 20th Century Fox Movie Studio, a dream job for her. Kayoko has also been very active in the Piano Technicians Guild, especially her local chapter where she had created meaningful education programs and clinics.