Matthew and Alexandra Walworth’s journey into opening their own piano store began with a single, battered instrument that needed tons of work. Today, their passion for music has transformed into A.M.O. Pianos, a community hub where their love for music, each other, and true craftsmanship come alive. They specialize in the restoration and maintenance of pianos and provide high-quality instruments for musicians of all ages and skill levels. Their dedication and belief in the universal power of music have made their shop a beloved fixture in Lebanon, where they welcome everyone to experience the joy of playing and listening to well-tuned, beautifully restored pianos.
“We constantly hear from others, ‘We could never work together!’ And it always makes me a little sad to hear other couples say that about each other,” Alexandra reflected on their close partnership. “I’ve been best friends with Matthew’s sister, Mary, since middle school, but I didn’t meet him until almost two years after I graduated high school. One day, she invited me to hang out with her and her brother. We instantly fell for each other, and we’ve been hanging out ever since. We’ve always known that we were going to open our own business. We just thought it was going to be a restaurant.”
They married in 2008 and proudly sing the song “Just the Two of Us” by Grover Washington, Jr., to describe themselves, but could never forget to mention their two cats, Harley and Not Sure. In fact, A.M.O. is short for “Alexandra’s and Matthew’s” Organs & Pianos.
“I play flute and wanted to learn to play piano, so about 10 years ago, we found our first family piano at home, and it needed a lot of work. Matthew inherited his dad’s engineering mindset, which with his woodworking and cabinet-making background, we were able to navigate through the world of pianos — especially after joining the Piano Technicians Guild, which is an amazing organization of colleagues and friends. We’ve both been members for seven years now. The Nashville chapter meets monthly, so we stay up to date with all the current important piano news and techniques available.”
Music is a passion that runs deep for them both. When asked about his favorite composer, Matthew responded, “This is a super hard question. It’s probably Claude Debussy, but it’s hard to choose only one. His compositions are just so amazing, and I can’t get enough of them!”
Recently, the Walworths moved A.M.O. Pianos to their forever home on the square, making a long-held dream come true.
“We had noticed that one particular storefront had been boarded up for months. Matthew decided to walk into every business to see if anyone had contact information for the building owners. Of course, no one had it until we walked into the last store, which was our future neighbors, Jack’s Guitarcheology. Our new location is much more convenient for people to find us and enjoy the pianos we have to offer. We welcome all ages and skill levels to come and bang on our pianos as much as your heart desires.”
Both Alexandra and Matthew believe in the power of music to draw people together.
“Music is truly the universal way of expressing ourselves and communicating with others. It’s deeply ingrained in human history across every civilization and culture,” said Alexandra.
When she was in high school, she dreamed of being the band director at Lebanon High School.
“Music has always had a major effect on my life, especially as a teen, and I wanted to share the positive impacts with our future generations. Life doesn’t always go as planned, but I found that I have achieved that goal with our piano shop. I’ve gotten to see toddlers’ eyes light up when banging around on a piano or the smile on a retirees’ faces when they pluck out a simple song they haven’t played since they were a kid.”
Matthew added, “I believe music is important for so many reasons, but above all, it’s really just a whole lot of fun for hours on end, whether you are playing an instrument or just listening. Also, true acoustic music is never exactly the same twice, which never gets old and was the original and only way to express music. For the longest time, it was impossible to hear a piece of music without playing it yourself or listening to someone else playing it. The idea of hearing music without personal effort is still a new idea that I think is often taken for granted.”
A.M.O. Pianos is more than a business. It’s a community asset.
“We believe properly serviced instruments shouldn’t be so hard to find, which helps us with our mission to help make pianos available for anyone and everyone. Every piano is a unique situation and always keeps us on our toes,” said Matthew.
“The people we get to meet are incredible,” said Alexandra. “We have people from not just Middle Tennessee but from all over the world walk through our doors, and they all have stories to tell. Oftentimes, it’s about a piano or about something going on in their lives.”
Reflecting on their journey, the Walworths see their move to downtown Lebanon as pivotal. As they look forward to each new day, they remain excited about the next adventure.
“Nothing can make life more perfect than doing what you’re passionate about with the person you love the most,” said Alexandra.
