Meet Adam...
I’ve always been a restless spirit. As soon as I start to close in on one finish line, the next one is already on the horizon. I remember as a Freshman Flute Major being asked ‘What Exactly’ my plans were for my future.
I remember looking them straight in the eye to say that if I wanted to make and repair flutes and piccolos, then I should be using my undergraduate program to be as prepared as possible. After all, to be a high-end technician, you need to be able to play amongst the best in the business.
This is where I step back and tell you that in order to be at your best, your equipment needs to play at its best. Trust me! I’ve been the guy that LITERALLY tied a key back onto his flute with a rubber band at a competition and still won second prize! You DON’T want to be him!
I am Adam Pettry, Founder of Pettry Piccolos, an artisanal collaboration between Artists (like yourself!) and Artisans, where together, we Dare to be BOLD, and CREATE something new!
I am here to help you unlock new horizons of sound in your playing, customizing instruments you have, or instruments that we create together.
The Man Behind the Curtain
How did I get here? Let’s take a second, grab a glass of wine, (or two!), and settle in for a story.
I grew up in Central Kentucky. Race-Horse and Bourbon Country. My family had a longstanding history of musicians, with everything from Mountain Gospel to Bluegrass, but being solely interested in classically-oriented music, I felt as queer as a three dollar bill on Leap Day.
I was also a tinkerer as a child. My poor mother lost so many kitchen knives to my habit of whittling little flutes out of sticks in the woods, it’s a miracle I made it to adulthood.
What I didn’t know back then was that I had an unquenchable thirst to create something from nothing and to bring music into the world.
As the years went on, I became more serious about my playing, started practicing a LOT, but I still couldn’t kick my habit of late nights reading up on flute history and mechanics. I did a lot of playing during, and right after college.
Auditions, competitions, summer festivals, masterclasses, orchestral gigs… you name it, I’ve probably done it at least once!
But by that time, I was feeling burned out, and was doing a lot of soul searching. Who was I as a person? What was I truly passionate about?
It took a couple of years, but after fumbling my way through a couple of cities, I found myself enrolled at Minnesota State College Southeast Technical, the legendary ‘Red Wing’ repair school where I subsequently graduated with honors. I then took a job repairing high end woodwinds at Miles Ahead Music in Kentucky where my life really came into focus.
I had made new friends, learned how to live my life authentically, and had discovered how to be JOYFUL. Even though I’d figured out what made me happy, I also aspired to be a creator, and not just a fixer.
I once again packed up my tools, and my cat, then moved to Blairsville Georgia to study instrument making at Covey Oboes, and it was there my business began.
Between an apprenticeship in oboe making and studying CNC machining at North Georgia Technical College, I still had to make ends meet, so I started moonlighting as a high-end piccolo and flute tech. It wasn’t long before I was in Atlanta doing repairs from all over the world, making piccolo headjoints, and introducing my own line of instruments.
If there’s ever been someone who’s been around the block, it’s me! A performance is a team effort between musicians, technicians, and instrument makers. It is my calling to create the tools you need to realize your full potential as an artist.
If I can help you in any way, please reach out and let me know! I aspire to be helpful in any way that I can!
