We are a team of expert piano builders operating under the tutelage and guidance of David Klavins. Our pianos are meticulously hand crafted to expand the boundaries of sound and design, resulting in instruments of extraordinary beauty in both form and tone that help artists push the boundaries of new music.

We instinctively shed the old limitations of piano design to create instruments that are unapologetically contrarian.

An Una Corda is being built in the Klavins workshop in Kuldiga, Latvia.

A History of KLAVINS

1987

Model 370

David Klavins introduces Model 370, then the world’s tallest upright piano, measuring 370 cm in height. This vertical concert grand pioneered a new approach to piano construction, for a better sounding concert piano.

2014

The First Una Corda

In collaboration with composer Nils Frahm, Klavins creates the Una Corda piano – a 64-key instrument featuring an open design and a single string per note.

2016

Una Corda Plugin

Native Instruments commissions an 88 key variant of the Una Corda and releases it as deep-sampled digital instrument, which goes on to become one of their best-selling and most beloved virtual pianos.

Recording the Klavins Unacorda for Native Instruments deep sampling

2017

Model 450

Model 450 is completed – a 4.5-meter-tall vertical concert grand commissioned by Nils Frahm and installed in the prestigious Funkhaus, Berlin.

2019

Model 470i

Model 470i, the largest KLAVINS Vertical Concert Grand to date, is installed in the newly inaugurated “Latvija” concert hall in Ventspils, Latvia.

2020

KLAVINS is born

David officially founds KLAVINS in the beautiful UNESCO Heritage Site of Kuldīgā, Latvia.

2021

Una Corda W

With the goal of creating a lighter, more transportable piano, the Una Corda W is born. Crafted from local Latvian oak, its minimalist construction makes it one of the world’s best-sounding pianos – and the most environmentally friendly.

2025

KLAVINS appoints new CEO

Long-time KLAVINS collaborator, musician, and acoustic engineer, Lawrence Greenwood, is appointed by David as CEO of the company.

KLAVINS LEADERSHIP

David Klavins (Founder)

David Klavins (born 1954, Bonn, Germany) is a German-Latvian master piano maker whose pioneering designs have redefined musical craftsmanship. The third of eight children in a musical family, Klavins now lives in Kuldīga, Latvia, his ancestral homeland.

In 1971, Klavins began an apprenticeship at Wilhelm Schimmel Pianofortefabrik in Braunschweig, Germany, mastering traditional piano-making. By 1976, he founded Klavierhaus Klavins in Bonn, restoring and selling pianos. In 1980, he earned his master craftsman title, enabling him to train apprentices. His innovative spirit led to experiments challenging 19th-century piano conventions, culminating in the Klavins Klavier Modell 370 (1987), the world’s tallest vertical concert grand at 3.7 metres. Debuted by pianist Cyprien Katsaris, it was later digitised as The Giant by Native Instruments, becoming a staple in digital sound design. The Una Corda (2014), co-developed with musician Nils Frahm, features a single-string-per-note design, recognised for its clarity and favoured by progressive composers globally.

In 1988, Klavins launched Klavins Music, a label showcasing his instruments with artists like Michael Ponti. From 2006, he explored new designs in the U.S. through PianoTectonics, Inc., collaborating with Liana Marie Sive. In 2018, he unveiled the Model 450, a 4.5-metre concert grand showcased in Berlin, followed by the Model 470i (2019), installed in the Ventspils Concert Hall, Latvia. These pianos are lauded for their exceptional resonance and fullness. In 2017, Klavins founded Klavins Piano Manufaktúra Kft., relocating to Kuldīga by 2020, where he explores new designs and processes.

His pianos are housed in venues like the University of Tübingen and high-end recording studios worldwide, earning his designs and piano-making philosophy international acclaim. Klavins’ 2023 Japan tour and TEDx talk in Riga highlighted his vision for acoustic innovation. Recent workshop advancements in Kuldīga incorporate composite materials and architectural integration, solidifying his global influence. Klavins continues to innovate, creating instruments that transform musical performance and inspire composers worldwide.

Lawrence Greenwood (CEO)

Lawrence Greenwood (born 1984, Sydney, Australia) is a musician, composer, and audio engineer whose eclectic career blends music, technology, and innovation. Raised on a NASA radio telescope base in Western Australia’s desert, his unconventional upbringing sparked a lifelong fascination with physics and sound.

In his teens, Greenwood worked as a pearl diver before settling in Melbourne, where he recorded his debut album, The Submarine (2007), as Whitley with producer Nick Huggins. The critically acclaimed release was followed by Go Forth, Find Mammoth (2009), which earned an ARIA Award nomination for Best Adult Alternative Album in 2010. As a versatile collaborator, he has produced, written, and performed with artists and bands including Seagull, Sleep Decade, Josh Pyke, Ben Kweller, Calexico, Howie Day, Powderfinger and NYCK. His compositions extend to short films (Siddhartha, Where We Roam), Nike SB’s skateboarding film Medley, and a 2022 animation project with legendary Japanese anime artist Shintaro Kago.

In 2021, Greenwood’s passion for the Una Corda 64S piano led to a collaboration with KLAVINS, where he spearheaded recording projects and began to take a deep interest in pianomaking. By 2025, he became co-owner and CEO of KLAVINS, leading David’s vision for innovative instrument design into the future.

Handcrafted in Kuldīga, Latvia

Each KLAVINS piano is meticulously handmade and crafted only with premium, European-sourced materials. Located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the old town in Kuldīga, Latvia – surrounded by lush forests and right by Europe’s widest waterfall – our workshop is a place where beautiful architecture and raw natural beauty inspire us every day.