People of the Attractions: Peter Lehman

At a young age, Peter Lehman discovered that he had an innate aptitude and love for music. A fan of rock band Kiss, it was a revelation at the age of 8 when he figured out that he could play and sing the group’s hit song, “Beth.” Lehman subsequently formed bands, began writing his own songs, and pursued his passion with zeal.

His talents paid off. He was accepted by the Berklee College of Music in Boston, but he instead decided to head to central Florida in 1990 to attend Full Sail Center for the Recording Arts, now known as Full Sail University. As Lehman was learning the craft of music production and sound design in the theme park hotbed, he visited Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Florida and was struck by the shows and attractions.

“It had never occurred to me that somebody needs to be creating the music and sound at parks,” Lehman says. “I thought this could be a cool way to try and make a living and get in on the advent of digital sound technology.”

He tucked that notion away and journeyed to California to pursue music and sound work in the film industry. With some B-movie credits under his belt, Lehman caught the interest of Hollywood’s largest independent sound company and was hired to work on films at its then-new Orlando location. Among the many movies he worked on were “Face Off,” “Pocahontas,” “Jerry Maguire,” and “Braveheart,” for which he won an Oscar.

However, landing back in Florida gave Lehman the opportunity to lend his expertise for attractions. At Universal, he was the composer and lead sound designer for Terminator 2: 3-D and also developed the sound for The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. Lehman founded his own company, Visible Sound, in 2001 and worked on Universal’s Revenge of the Mummy attraction as one of his creative shop’s first projects.

“At the beginning of that ride when you hear, ‘Get out of here! The curse, it’s real. He’s after your soul,’ that’s my voice,” Lehman shares.

With his oldest son and fellow musician, Alex, by his side, Visible Sound has developed a reputation for amping up parks and attractions around the world, including Motiongate Dubai and Genting SkyWorlds in Malaysia. The two recently worked on the latest Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando, with Alex developing the music and sound throughout the new world and Peter focusing on the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry attraction. At the Sphere in Las Vegas, Lehman served as a creative and technical consultant for the massive theater’s groundbreaking sound system.

He is currently working on a project featuring, of all things, Kiss, which will showcase the now-retired band in a dynamic, digital form. For a kid who dressed up as Peter Criss, it’s a dream come true.

“Just yesterday, I was sorting through the tracks for the song, ‘Beth,’” Lehman says, marveling at the opportunity. “It is a really cool, full-circle thing.”