NEC's 2016 Grammy Winners

February 13, 2017

Winners range across classical and non-classical categories.

Projects led by or including New England Conservatory alumni and faculty were among the winners announced at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, held last night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and televised live on CBS.

For further information, check the Grammy website.
Find past NEC Grammy winners here.
Find more about the NEC-BSO connection here.

About Donny McCaslinCollege Jazz Studies | Jazz Studies

Saxophonist Donny McCaslin, a member of NEC's jazz faculty, was a crucial collaborator in the creation of David Bowie's final album, Blackstar, which won in all five of the categories in which it was nominated: Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song (title track), Best Alternative Album, Best Recording Package, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

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About Sarah JaroszCollege Contemporary Improvisation | Contemporary Improvisation

The album Undercurrent by singer/songwriter Sarah Jarosz '13 won Best American Roots Performance (track "House of Mercy") and Best Folk Album.

Jarosz was previously nominated for Build Me Up from Bones (2013) and a track from her debut album, Song Up in Her Head (2009).

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About Boston Symphony OrchestraBSO Faculty | Percussion

Moving to the classical categories and an orchestra with deep ties to NEC, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and music director Andris Nelsons won Best Orchestra Performance with Shostakovich: Under Stalin's Shadow—Symphonies Nos. 5, 8 & 9. This follows up on last year's winning release of Symphony No. 10 in a series of live recordings for Deutsche Grammophon.

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About Third Coast PercussionBSO Faculty | Percussion

Third Coast Percussion won Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for its Steve Reich recording. This quartet of percussionists includes Robert Dillon '04 M.M., who was a member of the NEC Percussion Ensemble during the recording of its Naxos CD American Music for Percussion, Vol. 1.

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