Among the many storylines at the 65th Grammy Awards, one holds particular significance for the classical music audience in the Philadelphia area. That’s because classical artists with Philadelphia ties dominated the field on Sunday night.
The Philadelphia Orchestra had a hand in two awards: Best Contemporary Classical Composition, for Kevin Puts’ “Contact,” and Best Classical Instrumental Solo, for Time For Three on Letters for the Future, which also features a piece by Jennifer Higdon.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who just renewed his contract with The Philadelphia Orchestra through 2030, expanding his title to music and artistic director, was involved in two awards. He was the conductor for Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones, the historic Met Opera triumph that won Best Opera Recording. And he was the piano accompanist for Renée Fleming on Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene, which won Best Classical Solo Vocal Album.
The Crossing, with conductor Donald Nally, won their third Grammy Award for Born, with composers Michael Gilbertson and Edie Hill.
And Michelle Cann, the Eleanor Sokoloff Chair in Piano Studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, shared Best Orchestral Performance with the New York Youth Symphony and Michael Repper, for Works by Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Valerie Coleman.