The 67th Grammy Awards ceremony, held on Monday, February 3, took place amid a natural hazard. Reflecting on Covid-19, feminist protests, and the “American Dream”: the winning works in Classical Music either raise timeless artistic dilemmas or address socially vital issues relevant for the Western society. Let us listen to the nominees and winners in Classical Music, as well as works related to the other categories. Full playlists of the works can be found at the end of the article.
Best Orchestral Performance
Gustavo Dudamel, the orchestra of Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz received two awards for their 2024 album Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina: Best Orchestral Performance, and Best Classical Compendium. With this, the Venezuelan conductor, 44, becomes a 7-time Grammy winner.
Alongside the album’s core work, the ballet Revolución Diamantina, which brought Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz, 60, her first Grammy in Best Contemporary Classical Composition, the release contains orchestra piece Kauyumari, and violin concerto Altar de cuerda (soloist María Dueñas). The album addresses one of the most trendy topics in the war-less Western world: Covid-19, feminism (the composer’s work is referring to Mexico’s Glitter Revolution against violence towards women), and presents another 3-part romantic violin concerto mixing nationally distinctive music with an old-fashioned Western romantic form.
Nominees for Best Orchestral Performance:
- Adams: City Noir, Fearful Symmetries & Lola Montez Does The Spider Dance — Marin Alsop, conductor (ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra), stream
- Kodály: Háry János Suite; Summer Evening & Symphony In C Major — JoAnn Falletta, conductor (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra), stream
- Sibelius: Karelia Suite, Rakastava, & Lemminkäinen — Susanna Mälkki, conductor (Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra), stream
- Stravinsky: The Firebird — Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor (San Francisco Symphony), stream
Best Classical Compendium
Other nominees for the Best Classical Music Compendium:
- a colorful wind and percussion album on the topic of loving, longing and a word-, and timbre play around it: Akiho: BeLonging — Andy Akiho & Imani Winds; Andy Akiho, Sean Dixon & Mark Dover, producers, stream
- another release of Grammy winners Experimental Orchetsra, James Blachly, conductor, and Grammy nominee Curtis Stewart, American Counterpoints (Blanton Alspaugh, producer), featuring works of 2 American composers Julia Perry and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, thus highlighting the role of women-composers and black composers in American history of music, stream
- Foss: Symphony No. 1; Renaissance Concerto; Three American Pieces; Ode — JoAnn Falletta, conductor; Bernd Gottinger, producer, stream
- Mythologies II — Sangeeta Kaur, Omar Najmi, Hilá Plitmann, Robert Thies & Danaë Xanthe Vlasse; Michael Shapiro, conductor; Jeff Atmajian, Emilio D. Miler, Hai Nguyen, Robert Thies, Danaë Xanthe Vlasse & Kitt Wakeley, producers, stream
Best Contemporary Classical Composition
Other composers nominees in the category:
- a lyrical compendium of works by a Spanish cellist and composer Andrea Casarrubios Casarrubios: Seven For Solo Cello, “this album encompass a truly significant period in history: the years before and after 2020» (source), stream
- a depiction of a journey from joyous celebrations to a playfully illustrated war: Coleman: Revelry — Valerie Coleman, composer (Decoda), stream
- a musical and theatrical interpretation of Gertrude Stein’s essay on writing, translating its key ideas into musical language, performed by a renowned ensemble: Lang: Composition As Explanation — David Lang, composer (Eighth Blackbird), stream
- Saariaho: Adriana Mater — Kaija Saariaho, composer; Amin Maalouf librettist (Esa-Pekka Salonen, Fleur Barron, Nicholas Phan, Christopher Purves, Axelle Fanyo, San Francisco Symphony Chorus & Orchestra), stream
Best Opera Recording
Recorded soon after Kaya Saariaho’s death opera Adriana Mater — Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Fleur Barron, Axelle Fanyo, Nicholas Phan & Christopher Purves; Jason O’Connell, producer (San Francisco Symphony; San Francisco Symphony Chorus; Timo Kurkikangas) – received a Grammy in Best Opera Recording. Saariaho’s second opera, written in 2006 with a libretto by Lebanese-born French author and former war correspondent Amin Maalouf, explores the story of a woman giving birth to a child conceived through rape by a soldier. Listen to the audio here.
Nominees for Best Opera Recording:
- Adams: Girls Of The Golden West (2017) — John Adams, conductor; Paul Appleby, Julia Bullock, Hye Jung Lee, Daniela Mack, Elliot Madore, Ryan McKinny & Davóne Tines; Dmitriy Lipay, producer (Los Angeles Philharmonic; Los Angeles Master Chorale), stream
- Catán: Florencia En El Amazonas (1996) — Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Mario Chang, Michael Chioldi, Greer Grimsley, Nancy Fabiola Herrera, Mattia Olivieri, Ailyn Pérez & Gabriella Reyes; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus), stream
- Moravec: The Shining (2016) — Gerard Schwarz, conductor; Tristan Hallett, Kelly Kaduce & Edward Parks; Blanton Alspaugh, producer (Kansas City Symphony; Lyric Opera Of Kansas City Chorus), stream
- Puts: The Hours (2022) — Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Joyce DiDonato, Renée Fleming & Kelli O’Hara; David Frost, producer (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Metropolitan Opera Chorus), stream
During the Grammy award ceremony, a fragment from the opera The Hours was also performed:
Best Choral Performance
The winning album Ochre by The Crossing and Donald Nally, conductor, gathers works by three leading American composers Ayanna Woods, George Lewis, Caroline Shaw written in 2020-2022 and explores the ingenuity of composers in choral writing.
Nominees for the Best Choral Performance:
- Clear Voices In The Dark — Matthew Guard, conductor (Carrie Cheron, Nathan Hodgson, Helen Karloski & Clare McNamara; Skylark Vocal Ensemble), stream
- A Dream So Bright: Choral Music Of Jake Runestad — Eric Holtan, conductor (Jeffrey Biegel; True Concord Orchestra; True Concord Voices), stream
- Handel: Israel in Egypt — Jeannette Sorrell, conductor (Margaret Carpenter Haigh, Daniel Moody, Molly Netter, Jacob Perry & Edward Vogel; Apollo’s Fire; Apollo’s Singers), stream
- Sheehan: Akathist — Elaine Kelly, conductor; Melissa Attebury, Stephen Sands & Benedict Sheehan, chorus masters (Elizabeth Bates, Paul D’Arcy, Tynan Davis, Aine Hakamatsuka, Steven Hrycelak, Helen Karloski, Enrico Lagasca, Edmund Milly, Fotina Naumenko, Neil Netherly, Timothy Parsons, Stephen Sands, Miriam Sheehan & Pamela Terry; Novus NY; Artefact Ensemble, The Choir Of Trinity Wall Street, Downtown Voices & Trinity Youth Chorus), stream
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
Caroline Shaw becomes 5-times Grammy winner with a second album Rectangles and Circumstance in co-production with Sō Percussion.
Nominees for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance:
- Adams, J.L.: Waves & Particles — JACK Quartet, stream
- Beethoven For Three: Symphony No. 4 and Op. 97, Archduke — Yo-Yo Ma, Leonidas Kavakos & Emanuel Ax, stream
- Cerrone: Beaufort Scales — Beth Willer, Christopher Cerrone & Lorelei Ensemble, stream
- Home — Miró Quartet, stream
Best Classical Instrumental Solo
Just as every composer dreams of writing and staging their own opera, Goldberg Variations stands as a cornerstone for pianists. The recording of this Bach masterpiece earned Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson a Grammy for Best Classical Instrumental Solo.
Nominees in Best Classical Instrumental Solo:
- Akiho: Longing — Andy Akiho, stream
- Eastman: The Holy Presence Of Joan D’Arc — Seth Parker Woods (Wild Up), stream
- Entourer — Mak Grgić (Ensemble Dissonance), stream
- Perry: Concerto For Violin & Orchestra — Curtis Stewart; James Blachly, conductor (Experiential Orchestra), stream
Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
Beyond The Years, winner of Best Classical Solo Vocal Album, features previously unpublished songs by Florence Price, performed by soloist Karen Slack and pianist Michelle Cann. Florence Price (1887–1953), a graduate of the New England Conservatory, is recognized as the first Black woman whose work was premiered by a major American orchestra.
Nominees in Best Classical Solo Vocal Album:
- Bespoke Songs — Fotina Naumenko, soloist; Marika Bournaki, pianist; Julian Schwarz, artist (Nadège Foofat; Julietta Curenton, Colin Davin, Mark Edwards, Nadia Pessoa, Timothy Roberts, Ryan Romine, Akemi Takayama, Karlyn Viña & Garrick Zoeter), stream
- A Change Is Gonna Come — Nicholas Phan, soloist; Palaver Strings, ensembles, stream
- Show Me The Way — Will Liverman, soloist; Jonathan King, pianist, stream
- Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder — Joyce DiDonato, soloist; Maxim Emelyanychev, conductor (Il Pomo d’Oro), stream
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
Plot Armor by Taylor Eigsti took the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album award for style-versatile mix of an electric jazz, fusion, and more.
Nominees for the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album:
- a banjo album Rhapsody In Blue — Béla Fleck, stream
- Orchestras (Live) — Bill Frisell Featuring Alexander Hanson, Brussels Philharmonic, Rudy Royston & Thomas Morgan, stream
- Mark — Mark Guiliana, stream
- Speak To Me — Julian Lage, stream
Best Instrumental Composition
Composer Pascal Le Boeuf won his first Grammy for Strands — a jazz/fusion track from the album Are We Dreaming The Same Dream? performed by Akropolis Reed Quintet, Pascal Le Boeuf, and Christian Euman. The album explores themes of identity, collective memory, and the concept of the “American Dream,” blending music by Geri Allen, Dave Brubeck, Charles Mingus, and Leonard Bernstein.
Nominees for the Best Instrumental Composition:
- At Last — Shelton G. Berg, composer (Shelly Berg)
- Communion — Christopher Zuar, composer (Christopher Zuar Orchestra)
- I Swear, I Really Wanted To Make A “Rap” Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time — André 3000, Surya Botofasina, Nate Mercereau & Carlos Niño, composers (André 3000)
- Remembrance — Chick Corea, composer (Chick Corea & Béla Fleck)
Producer Of The Year, Classical Music
Elaine Martone has became a Producer of the Year in Classical Music for the projects over the last year: Bartók: String Quartet No.3; Suite From ‘The Miraculous Mandarin‘ (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra), The Book Of Spells (Merian Ensemble), Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra), Divine Mischief (Julian Bliss, J. Eric Wilson & Baylor University Wind Ensemble), Joy! (John Morris Russell & Cincinnati Pops), Schubert: The Complete Impromptus (Gerardo Teissonnière), Stranger At Home (Shachar Israel), and Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6 (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra), Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra).
Other nominees included: Erica Brenner (works with Orli Shaham, Apollo’s Fire and Jeannette Sorrell, Alan Choo and Apollo’s Fire, CORE Ensemble), Christoph Franke (a Creative Producer of Berliner Philharmoniker), Morten Lindberg (38-time nominee and 1-time Grammy winner Norwagian music producer and sound engeneer), Dmitriy Lipay (Russian music producer who worked on Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina), Dirk Sobotka (sound producer at Soundmirror).
Best Engineered Album, Classical
Winner: Bruckner: Symphony No. 7; Bates: Resurrexit — Mark Donahue & John Newton, engineers; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra).
Nominees:
- Adams: Girls Of The Golden West — Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, engineers; Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, mastering engineers (John Adams, Daniela Mack, Ryan McKinny, Paul Appleby, Hye Jung Lee, Elliot Madore, Julia Bullock, Davóne Tines, Los Angeles Philharmonic & Los Angeles Master Chorale)
- Andres: The Blind Banister — Silas Brown, Doron Schachter & Michael Schwartz, engineers; Matt Colton, mastering engineer (Andrew Cyr, Inbal Segev & Metropolis Ensemble)
- Clear Voices In The Dark — Daniel Shores, engineer; Daniel Shores, mastering engineer (Matthew Guard & Skylark Vocal Ensemble)
- Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina — Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, engineers; Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, mastering engineers (Gustavo Dudamel, María Dueñas, Los Angeles Philharmonic & Los Angeles Master Chorale)
Other categories and its winners:
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella: Bridge Over Troubled Water — Jacob Collier, Tori Kelly & John Legend, arrangers (Jacob Collier Featuring John Legend & Tori Kelly)
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals: Alma — Erin Bentlage, Sara Gazarek, Johnaye Kendrick & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (säje Featuring Regina Carter).
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media: Maestro: Music By Leonard Bernstein — Bradley Cooper & Yannick Nézet-Séguin, artists; Bradley Cooper, Yannick Nézet-Séguin & Jason Ruder, compilation producers; Steven Gizicki, music supervisor.
Best Music Film: American Symphony — Jon Batiste, Matthew Heineman, video director; Lauren Domino, Matthew Heineman & Joedan Okun, video producers.
Listen to the full playlists of the nominees and winners’ works here:
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
Best Contemporary Classical Composition