Peter Hylenski

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]

Peter Hylenski
Hylenski in 2018
Born	1975 or 1976 (age 49–50) Danbury, Connecticut, United States
Education	Carnegie Mellon University (BFA)
Occupation	Sound designer
Notable work	Moulin Rouge! The Musical Rocky the Musical Once on This Island After Midnight Beetlejuice
Awards	Tony Award for Best Sound Design

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

1. Zauzmer, Ben (September 25, 2021). "Tonys: Predicting the Musical Winners Using Math". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
2. Brody, Jordanna (September 26, 2021). "Peter Hylenski Wins 2020 Tony Award for Sound Design of Moulin Rouge". Theatrely. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
3. "Obituary for Peter J. Hylenski". Jowdy Kane Funeral Home. March 29, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
4. FitzGerald, Eileen (February 5, 2004). "Danbury High grad sounds off on success". The News-Times. Danbury, Connecticut. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
5. Wigley, Pam (September 26, 2021). "Carnegie Mellon Alumni Win Two Tony Awards". Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
6. "Client Snapshot: Peter and Suzanne Hylenski" (PDF). Matson Financial Advisors Newsletter. 15 (3): 3. December 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
7. Staff writer. "Danbury Native Wins First Tony Award for Broadway's 'Moulin Rouge!' After 7 Nominations". WRKI i-95 Rock. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
8. Lampert-Greaux, Ellie (April 29, 2014). "Rocky: Q&A With Sound Designer Peter Hylenski". Live Design. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
9. Mink, Casey (March 29, 2019). "Why 'Beetlejuice' Sounds Unlike Any Musical Before It". Backstage Magazine. Retrieved November 13, 2021.