Three Eastman School of Music alumni were winners in the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc.’s 63rd GRAMMY Awards, Sunday March 14, 2021: Sarah Brailey, Maria Schneider, and Christopher Theofanidis. In addition, a Grammy was awarded to a composition by the late Christopher Rouse, who taught at Eastman for many years.
Sarah Brailey ‘04E was a featured soloist on the Best Classical Solo Vocal Album, The Prison by Ethel Smyth. She has been hailed by The New York Times for her “radiant, liquid tone,” “exquisitely phrased,” and “sweetly dazzling singing” and by Opera UK for “a sound of remarkable purity.”
Maria Schneider ‘85E won awards for Best Instrumental Composition for “Sputnik”, and Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for Data Lords. Blurring the lines between genres, her varied commissioners stretch from Jazz at Lincoln Center, to The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, to the American Dance Festival, and include collaboration with David Bowie. She is among a small few to receive GRAMMYS in multiple genres, having received the award in jazz and classical, as well as for her work with David Bowie.
The Best Classical Instrumental Solo award was given to Richard O’Neill and the Albany Symphony’s performance of the Viola Concerto by Christopher Theofanidis ‘92E (MM). Christopher Theofanidis, composer, has had performances by many leading orchestras from around the world, including the London Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Moscow Soloists, the National, Atlanta, Baltimore, St. Louis, Detroit Symphonies, and many others.
The Best Contemporary Classical Composition was Symphony No, 5 by the late Christopher Rouse, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer who taught at Eastman from 1981 to 2002. Christopher Rouse was known for vibrantly orchestrated works that explore extremes of expression, from kinetic vehemence to elegiac reflection.
As the world’s leading society of music professionals, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. is dedicated to celebrating, honoring, and sustaining music’s past, present, and future.
See the full list of GRAMMY Award winners here: https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/63rd-annual-grammy-awards-2020
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About Eastman School of Music:
The Eastman School of Music was founded in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman (1854-1932), founder of Eastman Kodak Company. It was the first professional school of the University of Rochester. Mr. Eastman’s dream was that his school would provide a broad education in the liberal arts as well as superb musical training.
More than 900 students are enrolled in the Collegiate Division of the Eastman School of Music—about 500 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. They come from almost every state, and approximately 23 percent are from other countries. They are taught by a faculty comprised of more than 130 highly regarded performers, composers, conductors, scholars, and educators. They are Pulitzer Prize winners, Grammy winners, Emmy winners, Guggenheim fellows, ASCAP Award recipients, published authors, recording artists, and acclaimed musicians who have performed in the world’s greatest concert halls. Each year, Eastman’s students, faculty members, and guest artists present more than 900 concerts to the Rochester community. Additionally, more than 1,700 members of the Rochester community, from young children through senior citizens, are enrolled in the Eastman Community Music School.