Peabody faculty and alumni were well-represented among the 2021 GRAMMY nominees announced last week. The 63rd GRAMMY Awards will be presented on Sunday, January 31.
Composition Professor Du Yun’s piece “I am my own achilles’ heel” is included on Brooklyn Rider’s album Healing Modes, nominated for the GRAMMY award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance.
Jazz bassist and faculty artist Kristopher Funn is featured on Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s Axiom, nominated for a GRAMMY award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.
The Metropolitan Opera’s recording of Porgy and Bess from the 2019-20 season was nominated for three GRAMMY awards: Best Opera Recording; Best Engineered Album, Classical; and Producer of the Year, Classical. Rosa Ponselle Distinguished Faculty Artist Denyce Graves sang the role of Maria and alumnae Tammie Woods (AD ’14, Voice), Taylor-Alexis DuPont (MM ’16, Voice), and Brittany Reneé Robinson (BM ’05, GPD ’07, Voice) are in the ensemble. Graves was also recently honored by the Metropolitan Opera Guild for the 25th anniversary of her Met debut.
Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair in Jazz Studies Sean Jones played trumpet on two GRAMMY nominated recordings: The Intangible Between by Orrin Evans And The Captain Black Big Band, nominated for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, and Be Water II composed by Christian Sands, nominated for Best Instrumental Composition.
Jazz guitarist and faculty artist Matthew Stevens co-produced, plays guitars, and is a chief writer on the GRAMMY nominated album Waiting Game by Terri Lyne Carrington and Social Science. The album was nominated in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album category.