2022 AWAPA Recipient Bruce Leek Recognized

The Academy of Wind and Percussive Arts (AWAPA) award was established for the purpose of recognizing those individuals who have made truly significant and outstanding contributions to furthering the excellence of bands and of band music. It is not limited to band directors, but to anyone whose contributions are determined to be so outstanding that they deserve and warrant honor and recognition. The nine inch silver “AWAPA” figure is designed to be the “Oscar” of the band world.

The 2022 recipient of the National Band Association AWAPA award, Bruce Leek, was formally recognized during the NBA General Membership meeting on December 20, 2022. Lowell Graham presented the official AWAPA statue to Mr. Leek earlier at his home since he was unable to be in attendance at the meeting.

Bruce John Leek is a native of Pasadena, California, and is a product of the Pasadena public school system. He received undergraduate degrees from both Pasadena City College and California State University Los Angeles in Education. Following that, he worked on a Master of Arts degree from California State University Long Beach. During this time, he was a substitute for the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra. Following graduation, he taught 6th grade in Huntington Beach, California, for five years.

His interest in audio and the recording arts began at the age of 13 by “hanging out” with older kids who had a company recording church and school ensembles. He credits his skills by learning his craft through “the school of hard knocks.” In his career, Mr. Bruce Leek has produced, engineered and/or mastered over 16,000 recordings, which have garnered more than 30 Grammy Awards and countless nominations. The phenomenal breadth of his experience ranges from The Beatles to The Philadelphia Orchestra and from The Mormon Tabernacle Choir to The United States Air Force Band and Singing Sergeants.

In the 1970’s and 1980’s Bruce Leek was responsible for a large majority of the audiophile mastering business working for clients such as Telarc, CBS, RCA, Delos, A&M, Reference Recording, and Varese Sarabande. During this same time, he was working for the biggest selling rock groups such as The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac and Jefferson Airplane/Starship. Since 1982, Mr. Leek has worked as an independent producer/engineer. Every year he continues to record many of the finest college and university bands around the country.

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