American sound designer
Peter Hylenski (born 1975 or 1976) is an American stage sound designer . He has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Sound Design eight times, holding the record for most nominations in the category,[ 1] and has won once, at the 74th Tony Awards with Moulin Rouge! The Musical .[ 2]
Career
Hylenski was born in Danbury, Connecticut , to Peter J. Hylenski, a design engineer ,[ 3] and Angela Hylenski, a secretary at Danbury High School . He attended Danbury High, where he was in charge of the theatre program's technical design as a senior.[ 4] He went on to study at Carnegie Mellon University , from which he graduated in 1997.[ 5] Hylenski's first professional role was at age 18 as the sound designer for a Las Vegas run of Starlight Express .[ 6] Early in his career, Hylenski worked in sound design both in the United States and abroad, with credits in Broadway , West End , and Cirque du Soleil productions. He was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Sound Design for Ragtime in 2004, the first year it was awarded.[ 4]
In addition to his win for Moulin Rouge! , Hylenski has been nominated for a Tony Award for Once on This Island , After Midnight , Beetlejuice , King Kong , Motown: The Musical , Rock of Ages , and The Scottsboro Boys .[ 2] Outside of musicals, he has worked with Dave Chappelle , Regina Spektor , and Criss Angel .[ 7] In an interview for trade magazine Live Design about his work on Rocky the Musical , Hylenski described his sound design philosophy as based around the show's story and defended the use of anachronism in musical scores as a design decision.[ 8] He has also ascribed a major role to the actor's interpretation of a character as being integral to subtle differences in sound design between different runs of a play.[ 9]
Hylenski lives in New York City and owns a second home in New Fairfield, Connecticut . He is married to Suzanne Hylenski, a dancer and wellness coach from Essex in the United Kingdom, whom he met while working as an associate sound designer on a European tour of Fosse .[ 6]
References
^ Zauzmer, Ben (September 25, 2021). "Tonys: Predicting the Musical Winners Using Math" . Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved November 13, 2021 .
^ a b Brody, Jordanna (September 26, 2021). "Peter Hylenski Wins 2020 Tony Award for Sound Design of Moulin Rouge" . Theatrely . Retrieved November 13, 2021 .
^ "Obituary for Peter J. Hylenski" . Jowdy Kane Funeral Home . March 29, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2023 .
^ a b FitzGerald, Eileen (February 5, 2004). "Danbury High grad sounds off on success" . The News-Times . Danbury, Connecticut. Retrieved November 13, 2021 .
^ Wigley, Pam (September 26, 2021). "Carnegie Mellon Alumni Win Two Tony Awards" . Carnegie Mellon University . Retrieved November 13, 2021 .
^ a b "Client Snapshot: Peter and Suzanne Hylenski" (PDF) . Matson Financial Advisors Newsletter . 15 (3): 3. December 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2021 .
^ Staff writer. "Danbury Native Wins First Tony Award for Broadway's 'Moulin Rouge!' After 7 Nominations" . WRKI i-95 Rock . Retrieved November 13, 2021 .
^ Lampert-Greaux, Ellie (April 29, 2014). "Rocky: Q&A With Sound Designer Peter Hylenski" . Live Design . Retrieved November 13, 2021 .
^ Mink, Casey (March 29, 2019). "Why 'Beetlejuice' Sounds Unlike Any Musical Before It" . Backstage Magazine . Retrieved November 13, 2021 .
Awards for Peter Hylenski