Creating “good music” and state-of-the-art recordings doesn’t happen by accident.

Our roster of producers and engineers, which include Grammy award winners, provide the guidance and expertise necessary to help AAM Recording artists produce and deliver fine recordings to the marketplace. 

Meet AAM Recordings producers and engineers – discover the experience behind a streamlined production cycle.

PRODUCERS:
Leonard Slatkin
Bio
Blog

Paul A Hennerich IV
Bio: Paul Hennerich began working with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in 1993 as Assistant Live Audio engineer. In 1996 Mr. Hennerich began recording the SLSO on a daily basis and took over as producer for the much heralded SLSO radio broadcasts heard on National Public Radio. Paul has recorded releases for artists as diverse as Christine Brewer and the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis to the great gravelly voiced Big Bad Smitty and broadcast work for Jazz at the Bistro. 
Paul is also an Adjunct Faculty member at Webster University's School of Communications teaching remote recording, Basic Audio, Digital Audio Production and a masters class in Surround Sound mixing and recording.  Paul is a member of the Audio Engineering Society, and 2003 MLB Geeks fantasy baseball league champion.  Visit Pan Galactic Company's website for more information about Paul's recording company.


Thomas Drake
Bio: Thomas Drake joined the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in 1987 as Assistant Principal Trumpet. In addition to his duties with the SLSO, he is a frequent soloist with the orchestra and much sought after as a chamber music performer. Mr. Drake brings his talents and experience as one of the producers for the much heralded SLSO radio broadcasts heard on National Public Radio to each recording. Mr. Drake also cooks a mean Buffalo Wing.


JoAnna Nickrenz
Joanna Nickrenz, born in 1936, was raised in Seattle and spent her youth working to become a concert pianist. She completed her piano studies in Philadelphia and soon became a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony under William Steinberg. Ms. Nickrenz was an active chamber music performer and co-founder of the New Chamber Quintet of New York. A recording project with the Claremont String Quartet sparked an interest in life on the other side of the microphone. Ms. Nickrenz had a phenomenal ear and the remarkable ability to hear the music in her head as she read it on the page. Her interest in the recording process and her great talent to hear everything led to an alliance with Marc Aubort at Elite Recordings. Starting out as an assistant, Ms. Nickrenz became a partner and for more than 30 years was the producer and editor of numerous recordings on a variety of domestic and international labels. Her razor sharp hearing was legendary and reportedly once remarked to a recording artist who played a wrong note, “That was good but what’s written is also nice.” Ms. Nickrenz was the recipient of numerous Grammy nominations and 3 Grammy awards, 2 for best Classical Producer and one shared with Mr.Aubort for Best Classical Recording. Her daughter, Erika Nickrenz, is the cellist in the well known Eroica Trio. A legend in the world of classical recorded music, Joanna Nickrenz died of lung cancer in 2002.

Akiko Tarumoto
Bio Coming Soon

ENGINEERS:
Paul Hennerich
Bio Coming Soon

Christopher Willis
Bio Coming Soon

Barry Hufker
Working professionally in audio for 38 years, Barry Hufker's background is extensive.  The author of a number of articles for national recording industry magazines, Hufker was among the first to write and have published computer programs for audio production and acoustics using personal computers.  Hufker was also production manager at KWMU-FM, where he introduced compact discs and digital recording to Saint Louis, as well as pioneered Ambisonic surround sound broadcasts to the nation. Acting as the audio engineer and producer for hundreds of local "live" and "live-on-tape" broadcasts, Hufker was also the associate producer of the national broadcasts of the Saint Louis Symphony. He recorded Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for more than 27 years producing many of these recordings for National Public Radio.  Starting his own company in 1980, Hufker has performed thousands of on-location and in-studio recordings for broadcast, CD and DVD.  A teacher for almost 30 years, Hufker created Webster University’s Audio Production Program twenty years ago and was the program’s head for 17 years.  Hufker is a full professor in the Department of Electronic and Photographic Media.

William Hoekstra
William Hoekstra was born in Oak Park, Illinois in 1953. He first attended Northern Illinois University where he worked as an engineer and on-air host for the National Public Radio university affiliate radio station, WNIU, recording many concerts presented by the various performing ensembles of the NIU School of Music. He later attended the University of Illinois - Chicago Circle where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree and later was a graduate of the recording program at the Eastman School of Music. After leaving college, Mr. Hoekstra worked as an engineer for WEFM, a Chicago classical music station owned by the Zenith Corporation and subsequently for WFMT, a prominent classical music station, also in Chicago. In 1979 he assumed the duties as recording engineer for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, where he was active in recording the highly acclaimed nationwide broadcasts of SLSO concerts for NPR. Between the years 1979 and 1995 Mr. Hoekstra was the recording and production engineer for over 700 broadcasts. Beginning in 1987 he assumed the role of recording engineer for commercial recordings by the SLSO for labels such as Angel/EMI, RCA/BMG, Nonesuch, and New World Records. These efforts garnered seven Grammy nominations and two Grammy awards for Mr. Hoekstra. Tragically, these Grammy awards were posthumous, as Mr. Hoekstra succumbed to illness and passed away in March of 1994. Fortunately for music enthusiasts, his gifts enhance our enjoyment of these performances to this day.