GRAMMY Awards Announce 2024 Classical Music Nominees

The winners in each division of the classical music category will be announced on February 4, 2024

 

The classical music nominees of the 66th GRAMMY Awards include violinists Anne Akiko Meyers and Curtis Stewart, pianist Yuja Wang, and the Catalyst Quartet.

The award ceremony and concerts will held on February 4, 2024, from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, and aired live on the CBS TV Network and Paramount+ from 8–11:30 PM ET. 

The total number of GRAMMYs is now at 94. Since last year, three new categories — Best African Music Performance, Best Alternative Jazz Album, and Best Pop Dance Recording — have been added to make the GRAMMY Awards process “more fair, transparent and accurate,” according to Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr.

The 2023 GRAMMY Award nominees in the Classical Music Category are:

 

Best Orchestral Performance

Award to the Conductor and to the Orchestra.

• Adès: Dante
  Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)
• Bartók: Concerto For Orchestra; Four Pieces
  Karina Canellakis, conductor (Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra)
• Price: Symphony No. 4; Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony
  Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor (The Philadelphia Orchestra)
• Scriabin: Symphony No. 2; The Poem Of Ecstasy
  JoAnn Falletta, conductor (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra)
• Stravinsky: The Rite Of Spring
  Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)

 

Best Opera Recording

Award to the Conductor, Album Producer(s) and Principal Soloists, and to the Composer and Librettist (if applicable) of a world premiere Opera recording only.

• Blanchard: Champion
  Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Ryan Speedo Green, Latonia Moore & Eric Owens; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
• Corigliano: The Lord Of Cries
  Gil Rose, conductor; Anthony Roth Costanzo, Kathryn Henry, Jarrett Ott & David Portillo; Gil Rose, producer (Boston Modern Orchestra Project & Odyssey Opera Chorus)
• Little: Black Lodge
  Timur; Andrew McKenna Lee & David T. Little, producers (The Dime Museum; Isaura String Quartet)

 

Best Choral Performance

Award to the Conductor, and to the Choral Director and/or Chorus Master where applicable and to the Choral Organization/Ensemble.

• Carols After A Plague
  Donald Nally, conductor (The Crossing)
• The House Of Belonging
  Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (Miró Quartet; Conspirare)
• Ligeti: Lux Aeterna
  Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor (San Francisco Symphony Chorus)
• Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil
  Steven Fox, conductor (The Clarion Choir)
• Saariaho: Reconnaissance
  Nils Schweckendiek, conductor (Uusinta Ensemble; Helsinki Chamber Choir)

 

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance

For new recordings of works with chamber or small ensemble (twenty-four or fewer members, not including the conductor). One Award to the ensemble and one Award to the conductor, if applicable.

• American Stories
  Anthony McGill & Pacifica Quartet
• Beethoven For Three: Symphony No. 6, 'Pastorale' And Op. 1, No. 3
  Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax & Leonidas Kavakos
• Between Breaths
  Third Coast Percussion
• Rough Magic
  Roomful Of Teeth
• Uncovered, Vol. 3: Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, William Grant Still & George Walker
  Catalyst Quartet

 

Best Classical Instrumental Solo

Award to the Instrumental Soloist(s) and to the Conductor when applicable.

• Adams, John Luther: Darkness And Scattered Light
  Robert Black
• Akiho: Cylinders
  Andy Akiho
• The American Project
  Yuja Wang; Teddy Abrams, conductor (Louisville Orchestra)
• Difficult Grace
  Seth Parker Woods
• Of Love
  Curtis Stewart

 

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album

Award to: Vocalist(s), Collaborative Artist(s) (Ex: pianists, conductors, chamber groups) Producer(s), Recording Engineers/Mixers with greater than 50% playing time of new material.

• Because
  Reginald Mobley, soloist; Baptiste Trotignon, pianist
• Broken Branches
  Karim Sulayman, soloist; Sean Shibe, accompanist
• 40@40
  Laura Strickling, soloist; Daniel Schlosberg, pianist
• Rising
  Lawrence Brownlee, soloist; Kevin J. Miller, pianist
• Walking In The Dark
  Julia Bullock, soloist; Christian Reif, conductor (Philharmonia Orchestra)

 

Best Classical Compendium

Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s) and Engineer(s) of over 50% playing time of the album, and to the Composer and Librettist (if applicable) with over 50% playing time of a world premiere recording only.

• Fandango
  Anne Akiko Meyers; Gustavo Dudamel, conductor; Dmitriy Lipay, producer
• Julius Eastman, Vol. 3: If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?
  Christopher Rountree, conductor; Lewis Pesacov, producer
• Mazzoli: Dark With Excessive Bright
  Peter Herresthal; Tim Weiss, conductor; Hans Kipfer, producer
• Passion For Bach And Coltrane
  Alex Brown, Harlem Quartet, Imani Winds, Edward Perez, Neal Smith & A.B. Spellman; Silas Brown & Mark Dover, producers
• Sardinia
  Chick Corea; Chick Corea & Bernie Kirsh, producers
• Sculptures
  Andy Akiho; Andy Akiho & Sean Dixon, producers
• Zodiac Suite
  Aaron Diehl Trio & The Knights; Eric Jacobsen, conductor; Aaron Diehl & Eric Jacobsen, producers

 

Best Contemporary Classical Composition

A Composer's Award. (For a contemporary classical composition composed within the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year.) Award to the librettist, if applicable.

• Adès: Dante
  Thomas Adès, composer (Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)
• Akiho: In That Space, At That Time
  Andy Akiho, composer (Andy Akiho, Ankush Kumar Bahl & Omaha Symphony)
• Brittelle: Psychedelics
  William Brittelle, composer (Roomful Of Teeth)
• Mazzoli: Dark With Excessive Bright
  Missy Mazzoli, composer (Peter Herresthal, James Gaffigan & Bergen Philharmonic)
• Montgomery: Rounds
  Jessie Montgomery, composer (Awadagin Pratt, A Far Cry & Roomful Of Teeth)

 

Best Engineered Album, Classical

An Engineer's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.)

• The Blue Hour
  Patrick Dillett, Mitchell Graham, Jesse Lewis, Kyle Pyke, Andrew Scheps & John Weston, engineers; Helge Sten, mastering engineer (Shara Nova & A Far Cry)
• Contemporary American Composers
  David Frost & Charlie Post, engineers; Silas Brown, mastering engineer (Riccardo Muti & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
• Fandango
  Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, engineers; Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, mastering engineers (Gustavo Dudamel, Anne Akiko Meyers, Gustavo Castillo & Los Angeles Philharmonic)
• Sanlikol: A Gentleman Of Istanbul - Symphony For Strings, Percussion, Piano, Oud, Ney & Tenor
  Christopher Moretti & John Weston, engineers; Shauna Barravecchio & Jesse Lewis, mastering engineers (Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, George Lernis & A Far Cry)
• Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 & Schulhoff: Five Pieces
  Mark Donahue, engineer; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)

 

Producer Of The Year, Classical

A Producer's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.)

• David Frost
  - The American Project (Yuja Wang, Teddy Abrams, Louisville Orchestra)
  Arc II - Ravel, Brahms, Shostakovich (Orion Weiss)
  - Blanchard: Champion (Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Latonia Moore, Ryan Speedo Green, Eric Owens, Stephanie Blythe, Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Orchestra)
  - Contemporary American Composers (Riccardo Muti & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
  - The Guitar Player (Mattias Schulstad)
  - Mysterium (Anne Akiko Meyers, Grant Gershon & Los Angeles Master Chorale)
  - Verdi: Rigoletto (Daniele Rustioni, Piotr Beczala, Quinn Kelsey, Rosa Feola, Varduhi Abrahamyan, Andrea Mastroni, The Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Orchestra) 
• Morten Lindberg
  - An Old Hall Ladymass (Catalina Vicens & Trio Mediæval)
  - Thoresen: Lyden Av Arktis - La Terra Meravigliosa (Christian Kluxen & Arktisk Filharmoni)
  - The Trondheim Concertos (Sigurd Imsen & Baroque Ensemble Of The Trondheim Symphony Orchestra)
  - Yggdrasil (Tove Ramlo-Ystad & Cantus)

• Dmitriy Lipay
  - Adès: Dante (Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic) 

- Fandango (Gustavo Dudamel, Anne Akiko Meyers & Los Angeles Philharmonic)

- Price: Symphony No. 4; Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony (Yannick Nézet-Séguin & Philadelphia Orchestra)

- Rachmaninoff: The Piano Concertos & Paganini Rhapsody (Yuja Wang, Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)

- Walker: Lyric For Strings; Folksongs For Orchestra; Lilacs For Voice & Orchestra; Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony (Asher Fisch & Seattle Symphony)

• Elaine Martone
  - Ascenso (Santiago Cañón-Valencia)
  - Berg: Three Pieces From Lyric Suite; Strauss: Suite From Der Rosenkavalier (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra)

- Between Breaths (Third Coast Percussion) 

- Difficult Grace (Seth Parker Woods)

- Man Up / Man Down (Constellation Men's Ensemble) 

- Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra) 

- Rachmaninoff & Gershwin: Transcriptions By Earl Wild (John Wilson)

- Sirventés - Music From The Iranian Female Composers Association (Brian Thornton, Katherine Bormann, Alicia Koelz, Eleisha Nelson, Amahl Arulanadam & Nathan Petipas) 

- Walker: Antifonys; Lilacs; Sinfonias Nos. 4 & 5 (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra) 

• Brian Pidgeon
  - Fuchs: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1 (John Wilson & Sinfonia Of London)

- Music For Strings (John Wilson & Sinfonia Of London)

- Nielsen: Violin Concerto; Symphony No. 4 (James Ehnes, Edward Gardner & Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra)

- Pierre Sancan - A Musical Tribute (Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Yan Pascal Tortelier & BBC Philharmonic) 

- Poulenc: Orchestral Works (Bramwell Tovey & BBC Concert Orchestra)

- Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 3; Voclaise; The Isle Of The Dead (John Wilson & Sinfonia Of London) 

- Schubert: Symphonies, Vol. 3 (Edward Gardner & City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra) 

- Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 12 & 15 (John Storgårds & BBC Philharmonic) 

- Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Works (Alpesh Chauhan & BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra) 

 

Best Instrumental Composition

A Composer's Award for an original composition (not an adaptation) first released during the Eligibility Year. Singles or Tracks only.

• Amerikkan Skin
  Lakecia Benjamin, composer (Lakecia Benjamin Featuring Angela Davis)
• Can You Hear The Music
  Ludwig Göransson, composer (Ludwig Göransson)
• Cutey And The Dragon
  Gordon Goodwin & Raymond Scott, composers (Quartet San Francisco Featuring Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band)
• Helena's Theme
  John Williams, composer (John Williams)
• Motion
  Edgar Meyer, composer (Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer & Zakir Hussain Featuring Rakesh Chaurasia)

 

For the full list of 2024 nominees, click here.