Chistian Amonson, Arts Laureate Recordings, Seeing Sound

Christian Amonson

Owner, Founder, Lead Engineer

Able to see sound, recording engineer Christian Amonson has initiated a radical shift in the way that music is recorded and mixed. By echolocating sounds, he sees what the recording shows: the location of the instruments, the size of the space, the location of the walls, and the location of the mics. By integrating all the sonic cues that our ears want and expect to hear, Christian delivers a new level of realism/idealism and musicality. His first orchestral recording was described as “The best quality yet.” (Fairfax Symphony Orchestra)

He studied music composition before joining the Classical Music Library Online, where he reviewed and cataloged thousands of recordings from orchestras around world. The position transformed his ears and gave him a vision for what is possible, both in life and in music. Christian then won his first full-season recording contract at age 20, selected after Virginia's only fully-professional vocal ensemble auditioned the most experienced classical engineers in the mid-Atlantic. He received his first major label credit at 21 for Bruce Hornsby’s album, Elevate. He has since recorded for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with John Williams, and in 2015, Christian was selected to serve as Recording Engineer for "The President's Own" United States Marine Band in Washington, DC.

His work has been featured by NPR, the BBC, Time Magazine, the Kennedy Center, et al. International clients include the Venice Baroque Orchestra (Italy), Stradivari Quartett (Germany), Jesus College Cambridge (UK), Filharmonia Opolska (Poland), and others. Christian owns Arts Laureate, and he actively auditions, recruits, and mentors engineers, and he also serves as a resource to artists and engineers in the classical community. In 2019, he presented “The Fundamentals of Orchestral Recording” at the League of American Orchestra’s national conference.

senior team

Robert Armstrong

Engineering Team Lead

Robert Armstrong has provided audio and video recording for groups like the Heinz Chapel Choir at UPitt, the College of William & Mary, the Virginia Arts Festival, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and others.

Robert earned his B.A. in Music Technology at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where he worked as a recording technician. Learn more about Robert here.

Lara Mitofsky Neuss

Recording Engineer & Digital Marketing Coordinator

Dr. Lara Mitofsky Neuss is a clarinetist based in the NYC Metropolitan Area who enjoys working in many different realms of music including audio engineering, marketing, administration, education, and new music advocacy. Since joining Arts Laureate in 2020 she has edited and mixed over 100 virtual choirs and currently works on both virtual and in-person projects as well as digital marketing for both Arts Laureate and the Tōnsehen Record Label. Lara is currently the Clarinet Program Manager for the New Works Project, an organization that enables musicians to participate in the commissioning of new music at an accessible price, and she is a Team Member and Performer with Protestra, a coalition of activist musicians ready and willing to use their art to speak out against injustice.

Lara recently completed her Doctor of Music Degree from Florida State University, and holds degrees from Colorado State University and San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Learn more here.

Pam Wess

Video Team Lead

Pam Wess is a New York City based Video editor, filmmaker, and clown. Pam has been an editor with Arts Laureate since September of 2020 and has completed over 100 virtual projects for 70 different clients, including Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington D.C., Yale University, Master Choral of South Florida, and Manhattan Concert Productions. Her short film, On Women Who Validate Themselves…, has screened at several festivals including the Las Vegas Film Festival, the Iron Mule Short Comedy Festival, and the New Hampshire Film Festival. Her screenplay Dummy has won first place at the Garden State Film Festivals screenplay competition 2017.

Pam holds a BFA in Cinematography and Film/Video Production from Bard College. As her clown alter-ego Madame Bouge, she has performed in venues across New York City including Dixon Place, Under St. Marks, UCB Theater East, and Creek and the Cave. Pam’s clown has rap battled against Wayne Brady … she didn’t win. Learn more here.

Matt Hagestuen

Video Director & Editor

Now based in Philadelphia, Matt Hagestuen serves as the Video Director and Editor for the Curtis Institute of Music while continuing his associations with Arts Laureate as Video Director and the Berlin Opera Academy in Germany as their Head of Film and Technical Production. Recent collaborations have included filming and editing with Arts Laureate in support of the Vocal Arts DC recital series, recording sessions with Osmo Vänskä and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, and continued partnerships with the award-winning Baylor Symphony Orchestra for their 75th Annual Children’s Concert Series.

Matt is an Emmy-nominated Assistant Director and holds one Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting and another in Vocal Performance from Baylor University. He was a conducting student of Stephen Heyde and is also an alumnus of the University of Minnesota SPAN: Program in the United Kingdom and the University of Northwestern-St. Paul. Learn more here.

Neil Brown

Recording Engineer & Label Manager

Neil Brown has a wide range of musical experience both as performer and recording engineer. As a recording engineer, he has worked on over 20 commercially released recordings. His work can be found on the Métier, Summit Records, Rivermont Records, Acis Productions, and Tōnsehen record labels among others. He has worked with numerous renowned artists and ensembles the likes of which include The Washington Chorus, Kansas City Symphony, The President’s Own U.S. Marine Band, Chris Gekker, Thomas Pandolfi, Rex Richardson, and many more.

Also an accomplished performer on the trumpet, Neil is a member of the Apollo Orchestra, Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra, Fairfax Symphony, National Philharmonic Orchestra, and was previously a member of the US Navy Band in Washington DC.