Amati USA has announced that industry veteran Jay Wanamaker has been named president & COO. Wanamaker will oversee all Amati U.S. operations, including Amati Woodwind & Brass Instruments and V.F. Cerveny Brass Instruments, as well as overseeing the Strunal String Instrument brand. “Jay’s vast experience in running world-class MI wholesale and retail companies, as well as his history as a highly revered music educator, makes him the perfect person to lead our U.S. operations,” comments Vaclav Hnilicka, Amati CEO.
Wanamaker has served as a senior executive with Yamaha Band & Orchestral Division, Yamaha Pro Audio & Combo Division, Guitar Center, Music & Arts, Fender’s KMC Music, and Alfred Publishing.
Jay has been a member of the music faculty at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, authored numerous educational publications, composed music for the motion picture DRUMLINE, and instructed mass bands for events including the Olympics, Super Bowls, Special Olympics, Liberty Weekend, Pan Am Games, and the McDonald’s All-American High School Band.
Wanamaker states, “I am really excited to get back to my roots of band instruments and music education. This is where it all began for me, and I feel that all of my experiences in wholesale, retail and education will be a tremendous asset as I dedicate myself to focusing on growing the Amati and Strunal brands in America.”
Both Amati and Strunal have been manufacturing musical instruments for hundreds of years in the Czech Republic. Amati offers a professional to student line of woodwind and brass instruments. Strunal offers a professional to student line of orchestral string instruments and classical guitars.
