Ukrainian Canadian awarded Emmy for sound mixing (02/24/02)

Ukrainian Canadian awarded Emmy for sound mixing

TORONTO - Ukrainian Canadian Orest Sushko received an Emmy award for outstanding sound mixing at the 2001 Emmy Awards presentation in Los Angeles. It was his second nomination for an Emmy in the past three years.

Mr. Sushko won for a mini-series he mixed titled "Nuremberg," starring Alec Baldwin. It was a complete surprise and a great honor for Mr. Sushko to be recognized by his peers in the industry. He is a lead re-recording mixer for Toronto-based AllianceAtlantis Communications, a company that produces and distributes feature films and television in Canada and abroad.

His craft involves mixing the movie soundtrack, which comprises dialogue, music and sound effects, working closely with the director and producers. He is currently mixing the upcoming David Cronenberg film "Spider."

Mr. Sushko has been with AllianceAtlantis since 1994. Prior to that he worked as a recording engineer at Master's Workshop after graduating from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and finishing his studies in Toronto in the late 1980s. He has recorded and mixed numerous music projects for such artists as Sarah McLachlan, Barenaked Ladies, Kim Mitchell, Cowboy Junkies, Beautiful South and James.

His work has also included film scores, live productions, television shows, commercials, variety specials and feature films. In that time he has been nominated for nine Gemini and two Genie awards that honor both Canadian television and film.

Mr. Sushko still works as a freelance music engineer in both the mainstream and in the Ukrainian community. It helps keep him connected to the folklore and culture he grew up with. He has worked with Toronto's Vesnivka women's choir for the past 10 years, in which time they released two CD projects, as well as with the Bortniansky Music Project "Sacred Dnipro." In 1990 Mr. Sushko spent several weeks in Kyiv working with a local recording studio.

He is the son of Orysia and Makar Sushko of Hamilton, and brother to Roman, Halia and Oksana. While growing up, he was an active participant in the Ukrainian community, specifically St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral. He graduated from Ukrainian school in Hamilton, danced with the St. Vladimir dance ensemble and played in the Vodohray orchestra and local bandura ensembles.

He is past president of the Hamilton and Eastern Canada branches of the youth organization SUMK. He also danced with both the Ilarion dance ensemble and Desna ensemble in Toronto, and played the trumpet with the Bukovyna brass band. While attending school in Toronto he lived at St. Vladimir Institute and was actively involved in its cultural programs.

Mr. Sushko is well-known throughout North America for his superb tsymbaly playing. He performed at the Caravan in Toronto for many years, including at countless festivals, and continues to entertain audiences in many locales.

He is currently working with the Taras Shevchenko Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus based in Detroit, and this spring will be recording its upcoming CD of the divine liturgy. This is a family tradition, since Mr. Sushko's father, Makar, is a past member of the chorus and his grandfather, Paul Stepowy, crafted banduras, many of which have been played by members of the UBC over the chorus' 80-year history.

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