For 50 years, Sydney Opera House has had one man on speed dial

Since the Sydney Opera House opened over 50 years ago, countless musical stars, world leaders and awestruck patrons have visited its iconic halls.

The outside forecourt has been blanketed by thousands of bare bodies in the name of art and, inside, an only slightly less naked Arnold Schwarzenegger even won a body-building title. There have been renovations and controversies, protests staged and history made.

And the constant, through it all, is Terry Harper.

He's been tuning the building's pianos for half a century, working behind the scenes to make sure the uber-technical instruments are ready for the world's best musicians.

It's a family legacy started by his father when the Opera House first opened in 1973 - and one that ended this week, with Terry's retirement.

Three years later, a 19-year-old Terry would join Ron under the sails, after completing a one-year piano tuning course when he left school.

He started on rehearsal pianos in the backroom, while building up his skills and confidence, before finally taking over when his dad retired a decade later.

These days, he can walk into a room and immediately know if the piano is out of tune.

"I always had a very good sense of pitch," he says, "[but] it's difficult to master."

And it's all done by ear.

Tinkling on the piano in front of him, he explains this one has 243 strings. For most of the keys, three separate steel wires combine to make the note.

"Once they start to deviate from the same frequency, they cause these things which we call beats, and that's what we're listening for when we're tuning."

"Can you hear this?" he asks, enthusiastically.

Alas, I – a music pleb - cannot.

"It's not like tuning a guitar," he says, offering me some solace.

Earlier this year, after five decades, Terry decided it was time to hang up the tools.

"I got quite cozy during Covid, not having to work," he quips.

His son couldn't be tempted to take up the family business – "he's into computer stuff, like all good young men are" – and so Friday also marked the end of the Harper legacy inside the Sydney Opera House.

The venue has opened a tender for a new contractor to tune their pianos – and Terry says he's heard a rumour they could be replacing him with several tuners.

"I think somebody owes me some money… I've been doing the work of six people," he teases.

Jokes aside, he admits that as his departure has crept closer, a wave of emotions came with it.

"Piano tuners, we're fairly solitary," he says. "We like to be in a room by ourselves with quiet, because you have to focus and listen to what you're doing… [but] I've always had the camaraderie of all the people that work here."

"I'm going to miss the place."