A PROFESSIONAL
Iona Walker is a graduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Starting out as a professional oboist and reed maker, Iona moved her focus over to woodwind repairs. Following in the footsteps of her father Dr Robert Walker, an instrument repairer and engineer based in Durham, Iona trained as a woodwind repairer at the Llangunllo School of Instrument Repair and also under the tutelage of Paul Windridge in Leicester. Iona is a current tutor at the Llangunllo School.
Iona offers a friendly and efficient service repairing all woodwind instruments, with a particular specialism in double reed repairs. Her many years' of performing and teaching experience ensures that all woodwind instruments can play at their best.
& FRIENDLY SERVICE
OFFERING QUALITY REPAIRS NEAR YOU
THE CHECK OVER
This is for well maintained instruments and includes:
Instrument inspected
Pads re-seated
Regulated
Re-oiled
THE FULL SERVICE
Instrument dismantled
Clean out inner tubing and replace oil
Full clean of the body
Wood re-oiled and burnished
Bore re-oiled
Cleaned and polished keywork & pads
Replacement of any broken corks or pads
Re-seat Pads
Oil
Regulate
Double Action
QUICK REPAIRS
For instruments that need immediate attention
BOOK A SERVICE
Please book a service on the booking page.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
M. ROGERS
We have an oboe and Cor Anglais which Iona has just serviced for us. I can honestly say this is the most thorough and comprehensive service they have ever had! They were fully dismantled and rebuilt with precision- they look amazing as care has been taken to restore both the wood and the keys to original state. People have commented on the tone and performance since the service. We have had the instruments serviced regularly but other services have not achieved this standard. Can't recommend highly enough
R. BROADBENT
I had a student oboe that had been left in bad condition by a previous owner and I took it to Iona at Walker Wind Repairs. Iona did a fantastic job of cleaning it and straightening all the rods out to get it working again. It now plays really well! Thank you Iona.
S. Firth
Iona serviced my oboe recently and it now plays brilliantly and looks as good as new - I’m so impressed with how clean it is! I expected the service to take a few weeks but Iona was very quick to get my instrument back to me and even took the time to talk me through everything that she had done. I would definitely recommend using Iona for woodwind repairs. She does a very thorough job and the aftercare i received was also excellent.
D. Gold
The C sharp key unexpectedly stopped working on my oboe, quickly followed by the rest of the bottom register. Iona fitted my repair in as an emergency, on a Sunday morning. Iona fully dismantled and rebuilt my oboe, replacing springs and pads as necessary, repairing a pillar, cleaning it, oiling it and giving it a polish. Now the instrument sounds better, looks better, and plays better than it ever did before, thanks to Iona I would not hesitate to recommend her, she is a safe pair of hands. She goes the 'extra mile' for her clients. (Donna R G - Marigaux 901 oboe).
H. Brown
Iona has made my oboe sound beautiful! The top notes are now pinging out and it has come back beautifully shiny. The best bit? It hasn’t totally broken the bank account!!