Repair Shop Bios

Audrey Denny

Audrey Denny is an active clarinet educator, technician and player in St. Louis, Missouri. She currently works as a clarinet specialist at Saxquest and Clarinetquest where she repairs and sets up all clarinets that come through the shop. Audrey is also on faculty at the Community Music School through Webster University where she has an active studio of beginning to high school students. Before her tenure here, Audrey apprenticed at Backun Musical Services under the direction of Morrie Backun and Elaine Ward and also worked as a clarinet tester and instrument technician for Conn-Selmer, Inc/Leblanc Division. In 2015 Audrey became a Vandoren Regional Artist which has her presenting clinics and master classes in St. Louis area middle and high schools. Audrey has performed with the Air Force Band of Mid-America and other local orchestras in St. Louis. Audrey earned a Bachelor's of Music Degree from DePaul University where she studied under Julie DeRoche, Larry Combs and John Bruce Yeh. For several years Audrey worked as a free-lance musician in Chicago performing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach and Cliff Colnot, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago under the baton of Daniel Barenboim. Audrey was also a member of the Barossa Woodwind Quintet and taught adjunct at DePaul University. Her many performance credits also include stints with the orchestras of Elgin, Kalamazoo, Kenosha, Northbrook, and South Bend, the Illinois Philharmonic, The Highland Park Opera Theater, Concertante di Chicago, and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

George Bunk

Our lead repair tech, George Bunk has been perfecting his craft for over 35 years and Clarinetquest is very fortunate to have him at the helm of our repair shop. George learned his trade by apprenticing under the late Steve Williams and Blaise Buchanan at Midwest Music Repair off Airport Road in the early 1980’s. George’s talents were quickly recognized and he soon became shop manager at McMurry Music in St. Louis where his reputation as a top professional repair tech garnered national acclaim.

Backing up just a bit, George graduated with a degree in music performance from UNLV in 1976. He began his professional career as a multi-woodwind artist, following in the footsteps of his mentor, Ralph Gari. His first professional gig was playing clarinet with the Las Vegas Symphony Orchestra where he remained for a few years. Before returning to his home in St. Louis, George went on the road, touring with territory bands such as the Don Glasser Big Band and the George Doehner Big Band. Once in St. Louis, George became a member of the woodwind section of the Original Knights of Swing in 1986 and has remained active in the music scene here.

Ben Reece

Ben Reece has been playing saxophone professionally for over 15 years. He earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in jazz performance from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville where he studied under Jason Swagler. In 2007 he began his apprenticeship in instrument repair under the tutelage of St Louis's Chris Funck. Ben is always studying and constantly pushes himself to learn more both as a repair tech and as a player. Ben also maintains the Saxquest Institute, a lesson studio teaching all styles of saxophone from beginning to advanced levels. He can be heard regularly with the Jazz St. Louis Big Band, the Phil Dunlap Quintet and the Saxquest Nonet Jazz Orchestra. He’s also a member of the Todd Mosby Group, one of St. Louis’s finest innovative and contemporary instrumental groups, where he can be heard playing various woodwinds. He lives on the south side of St. Louis with his wife and two children and their dog, Marley.

Josh Creekmore

Josh Creekmore is our latest hire in the repair shop and we’re delighted to have his talents. He began apprenticing band instrument repair in early 2013 with Rodger Enloe at Shoals Band Instrument Repair in Florence, Alabama. After completing his Bachelor’s degree in Commercial Music at the University of North Alabama in 2013, Josh moved to St. Louis in 2014 to pursue a career in instrument repair. Bringing with him a passion for the restoration and preservation of vintage instruments, Josh now apprentices in the Saxquest repair shop, eagerly soaking up the wisdom of George Bunk and Chris Funck, as well as constantly researching the repair techniques of other technicians around the world.