Press

OIART is proud to sponsor the ECMA Technician/Engineer of the Year award in recognition of excellence in the fields of live sound, lighting, technical, and sound engineering.

The 2008 Technician/Engineer Award Nominees
Laurence Currie
Darren Gallop
Carl Gosine
Hayward Parrott    
Michael “Sheppy” Shepherd   

Congratulations to winner, Michael Shepherd!

Michael graduated from OIART in 1998, and has since developed a reputation as a world-class studio engineer, which is evident in his recordings. As an audio engineer working at Lakewind Sound Studios for the past 8 years, he's worked closely with many of the best artists the East Coast has to offer. Sheppy, as he is credited on the projects, has been part of creating the award-winning CDs for such artists as Gordie Sampson (Sunburn), Dave Gunning (Two-bit World) and Matt Minglewood (The Story). www.sheppy.ca

Robert Breen, Michael Shepherd, Ken Trevenna

Read OIART's interview with Sheppy.

OIART is a proud sponsor of the 2008 London Canadian Film Festival.

Cash prizes were awarded to the following student filmmakers for accomplishments in the short film category:

Most Innovative Hybrid of Media Elements
Serena Lee, for "Real Estate: Biens Immobiliers"

Most Original Narrative Voice
Dylin North, for "Cosmortality"

Most Successful Resolution of Theme, Image & Audio
Brit Cruise, for "Time and the River"

Mary Malone, Brit Cruise, Ken Trevenna, Gordon Price

A portion of OIARTs contribution was also used to help bring to London actor Julian Richings, a cast member in the new Ellen Page film "The Tracey Fragments".

Julian Richings

At the Q&A after the film, Mr. Richings answered questions from the audience about the unique editing style that director Bruce McDonald used in the film, and the experience of working with Ellen Page.

The Fan's Choice award went to "Imal".

OIART is also proud to sponsor the WCMA award for Recording Studio of the Year

2007 Recording Studio of the Year Award Nominees

Armoury Studios
Bart McKay Productions
MCC Recording Studio
The Factory Studios
Warehouse Studios

Congratulations to Bart McKay Productions!

Bart McKay is on a roll, having won the same category last month at the Canadian Country Music Awards. McKay, who's had a studio in Saskatoon since 1992 (Sound Edge Productions), records artists like Brad Johner, Shane Yellowbird and Gord Bamford. Yellowbird was the CCMA's choice for newcomer of the year. Bamford has a song in the Top-10 at the moment.

Shure Best Performance Award 2007-08
Adam Plante of S.F. Marketing (right) congratulates current student, Joseph Eckert. Joseph achieved the highest marks for the Recording Technology term-one examinations. He was awarded a Shure SM57 microphone and certificate!

San Francisco – March 2007
OIART's Sound Design instructor, Vince Iannelli, was presented his second G.A.N.G. Sound Design Award last week in San Francisco. The Game Audio Network Guild is a non-profit organization established to further education on interactive audio.
Listen to 'Necromancing'

Blues society tunes in to students
Thu, April 20, 2006

By HERMAN GOODDEN, LONDON FREELANCE WRITER

Greg Simpson of the London Chapter of the Canada South Blues Society is always on the lookout for volunteers to help put on Blues Fest and other concerts the society hosts, including the annual Firehall Reunion showcase.

Over the last few years the society has come to rely on volunteer crews sent by the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology (OIART) in London.

The 11-month immersion program at the commercial college attracts students from around the globe. It has a student-teacher ratio of five-to-one and a 90-per-cent success rate in enabling graduates to find work in the audio industry.

Many local and regional acts use the institute's recording studio because the rates are reasonable and students act as engineers and producers. Live sound is also a major part of what the institute teaches and that's where Simpson and the Blues society come in.

"Until now our arrangement with OIART has always been a casual one," Simpson says. "They send us kids that want to do it. They're anxious to learn and amaze us with their willingness to just roll up their sleeves and get the job done right."

There is a symbiotic relationship at work here. The Blues society gives the OIART students the experience they need to manage live sound. Simpson and his colleagues regard it as a mentoring situation.

"We'll guide them, observe them and advise them," he says. "They're getting some valuable experience and we're getting some volunteer manpower. It's a real positive thing.

"And also there's the networking angle. Particularly at something like Blues Fest, these kids are meeting people and artists who might have work for them a little further down the road.

Those artists include major American blues performers Chris Beard and Johnny Reed, who are performing Saturday at a concert at Rumrunners in support of the Tara Boom Houston Children's Foundation of St. Thomas.

Also to be unveiled at Saturday's concert are complete details of who will be playing this year's Blues Fest over the July 14-16 weekend.

Some of the names Simpson dangled were guitarist Robin Trower, Molly Hatchet, Bill Durst, Chris Chown, Cheryl Lescombe, the reformed Yardbirds with original members Jim McCarty and Chris Dreja and David Clayton Thomas of Blood, Sweat & Tears fame.

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