CHRISTIAN AMONSON
PRODUCER, RECORDING ENGINEER FOR PIPE ORGANS

Christian Amonson specializes in recording pipe organs (and other Very Large Things). He is the Audio Producer for the American Guild of Organists national conventions, and his recordings can be heard regularly on the PipeDreams radio show by Michael Barone. He has produced over 3,000 recordings in 1000+ churches, concert halls, studios, and scoring stages.

Christian can see sound (like echolocation) and aims for recordings that sound as-good-as (or better than!) being in-the-room with the organ, threading the needle between detail, blend, and bloom. He is the recording producer for the 5th largest organ in the United States: the Hazel Wright Organ at Christ Cathedral, Garden Grove, CA (David L. Ball, Emma Whitten, organists). And has produced special projects (Star Wars, The Mummy) on the 4th largest organ in the United States: the Great Organs at First Congregational Presbyterian Church of LA (Christoph Bull, organist).

Christian records anywhere/everywhere in the world. Projects range from audio albums to live concert recordings, radio broadcasts, video sessions, and film scores.

DIEMER Alaska Concerto
Olivier Latry, Shin-Young Lee - St. Ignatius, San Francisco
SONDHEIM Everybody Say Don't
Christopher Houlihan - First Presbyterian Kirkwood, MO
LAURIN Symphonie No. 1: IV. Toccata
Janette Fishell - Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, San Francisco
KARG-ELERT Chaconne and Fugue Trilogy with Choral
Stefan Engels - St. James Cathedral, Seattle

WHAT PEOPLE SAY

”Our other engineer says this isn’t even possible, but I know you’ve done it before. Can you help us?” LA Opera

“How do you do it?! I’ve worked with the same scoring orchestra before, and your recording makes them sound twice as big. Thank you so much for going.” Composer

“I didn’t like our recordings before this. But you are a wizard.” Carl St.Clair, Music Director, Pacific Symphony

Outside the organ world, he is one of the most sought-after producer-engineers for orchestral and choral music, recording legends like John Williams, Yo-Yo Ma, the Chicago Symphony, LA Master Chorale, and “The President’s Own”.

"Across the Stars" (feat. Christoph Bull, organ)
Star Wars: Episode II (Attack of the Clones)
Finale
The Mandalorian

"The sound is glorious, and I feel as if you absolutely understood what I was aiming for.” JoAnn Falletta, Music Director, Virginia Symphony

"You changed the way I hear orchestral music."
Emma Dayhuff, Recording Engineer, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra

"The Mummy" (feat. Christoph Bull, organ)
The Mummy
Binary Sunset (excerpt 2)
The Mandalorian

Christian lives in Los Angeles and teaches at the University of Southern California in the Music Technology and Screen Scoring programs. Before LA, he lived in Washington DC for ten years, serving with “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band for the last four.

His first organ recordings were done in 2008 while a student of Tom Marshall’s in Williamsburg, VA on the historic Wren Organ (~1740) and the Buzard at Williamsburg Presbyterian across the street (Op. 32, 2006). He received his first professional recording contract that same year with the Virginia Chorale, after the Chorale spent a season auditioning the most experienced engineers in the Mid-Atlantic. Christian was 21.

GAUL Chant for Dead Heroes
Damin Spritzer, Cathedral of Saint Peter, Belleville, IL
HAYWOOD Improvisation on We Shall Overcome
Emma Whitten - Christ Cathedral, Garden Grove, CA

“I’ll say it again: what you’ve done here is just extraordinary and this piece might be the finest audio mix we’ve heard yet.” Alex Nelson, Pacific Chorale

FAQ WITH CHRISTIAN

I’d love to meet. What’s the best way? Video chat is easy, or we can try to meet in-person.

Why do you like organ so much? Honestly, it just feels good to my brain. I love to be wrapped up in sound. Pipe organ also feels physically good and fun to play, and there are fewer limits on what is considered acceptable or polite musically. Organ music is good smooth and crunchy, ya know? And every organ sounds different and every space sounds different (plus rep, players, registration), so it’s an endless round of puzzles. And my organ friends are nice and super cool. I mean - what’s not to like? (blower noise, and very skinny staircases)

How much lead time do you need for a booking? Some projects are planned a year in advance; some are couple months. Sooner is definitely better.

I need video recording. Can you help? Absolutely. I do a lot of projects with video. I can do a lot personally, and I can also recommend colleagues. Often, I’m coordinating a whole team.

What about distribution? How do I share my recordings? I run a record label — TONSEHEN — and I’m eager to help share the recordings I’ve had a hand on. I also provide recordings to other labels.

Raha Mirzadegan, Coordinator
raha@seeingsound.com