Rochester, NY — The Eastman School of Music was well represented at the 48th Annual Grammy Award nominations on December 8, 2005. Between faculty members, students and alumni, the School netted fifteen nominations.
Three Eastman artists received nominations in the same category of Best Opera Recording: Eastman professor, world-renowned lutenist and Grammy winner, Paul O’Dette for conducting Conradi’s Ariadne with Eastman doctoral student Kristian Bezuidenhout performing harpsichord continuo; and Eastman alum (MAS ’83), soprano Renee Fleming on Strauss’ Daphne.
The Ying Quartet, the School’s string quartet-in-residence, is nominated for Best Classical Crossover Album for its recording with the Turtle Island String Quartet: 4 + Four. That album is also up for a Classical Producer of the Year Grammy for producer Thomas C. Moore.
“Our collaboration and friendship with the Turtle Island String Quartet has brought us much personal pleasure and musical satisfaction,” says cellist David Ying. “To now have 4 + Four recognized in this way feels like the icing on an already tasty cake.”
Also competing in the Classical Producer of the Year category is Michael Fine for Fuchs’ An American Place, which features Eastman alum Thomas Stacy (BM ’60). The English horn player was also nominated for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (With Orchestra) for a track on that album: Eventide.
Bill Cunliffe (MM ’81) is up for Best Instrumental Arrangement for Do It Again, a track from his album, Imaginación. In the Best Instrumental Composition category, Eastman grad Maria Schneider (MM ’85) is nominated for Journey Home on Dana Landry’s album of the same name. Last year, Schneider won the Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album Grammy for Concert in the Garden by the Maria Schneider Orchestra. This year, that category features another Eastman alumnus, John Hollenbeck (BM ’90, MM ’91), for A Blessing by the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble.
The Borealis Wind Quintet is up for the Best Chamber Music Performance Grammy for its album, A La Carte — Short Works For Winds. That nomination honors two Eastman alumni: Flutist Katherine Fink (BM ’76), who is a member of the Quintet; and Joseph Turrin (BM ’05), whose composition, Three Summer Dances, is on the album.
Harp alumna Courtney Bress (BM ’97) is nominated in the Best Small Ensemble Performance (with or without Conductor) category for Ancient Voices of Children, a track from Complete Crumb Edition, Volume Nine. Bress is currently principal harp of the Colorado Symphony, and she’ll perform at Kilbourn Hall on March 25, 2006 as part of Kathleen Bride’s faculty concert.
In the same category, singers Joe Chappel (BM ’94) and Oliver Brewer (MM ’00) are members of The Tiffany Consort, which is nominated for O Magnum Mysterium.
The 48th Annual Grammy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on Wednesday, February 8, 2006 in the Staples Center. The show will be broadcast live on CBS from 8 to 11:30 p.m. For a complete list, visit www.grammy.com.
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