Classical Grammys: The Winners

The winners of the GRAMMY Awards in the Classical Music Division were announced tonight along with everybody else: I am delighted to announce that Jennifer Higdon won the Grammy for Best Classical Contemporary Composition for her Percussion Concerto, a work I had heard live at its world premiere in Philadelphia and which had been performed by the Harrisburg Symphony in March, 2008, with conductor Stuart Malina and the orchestra's principal percussionist Chris Rose, the soloist.

For a complete list of all the nominees in the various categories of the Classical Music Division, click here.

Here is the complete list of winners in the Classical Division:

Best Classical Producer:
Steve Epstein - for Adams: Doctor Atomic Symphony (David Robertson and Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra) - Bernstein: Mass (Marin Alsop, Jubilant Sykes, Asher Edward Wulfman, Morgan State University Choir, Peabody Children's Chorus and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra) - Corigliano: A Dylan Thomas Trilogy (Leonard Slatkin, George Mabry, Sir Thomas Allen, Nashville Symphony Chorus and Nashville Symphony Orchestra) - Fauré: Piano Quintets (Fine Arts Quartet and Cristina Oritz) - Yo-Yo Ma and Friends: Songs Of Joy And Peace (Yo-Yo Ma and Various Artists)
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Best Classical Album (Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s) if other than the Artist.) and also Best Engineered Album:

Mahler: Symphony No. 8; Adagio From Symphony No. 10 - Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; Ragnar Bohlin, Kevin Fox and Susan McMane, choir directors; Andreas Neubronner, producer; Peter Laenger, engineer/mixer; Andreas Neubronner, mastering engineer (Laura Claycomb, Anthony Dean Griffey, Katarina Karnéus, Quinn Kelsey, James Morris, Yvonne Naef, Elza van den Heever and Erin Wall; San Francisco Symphony; Pacific Boychoir, San Francisco Girls Chorus and San Francisco Symphony Chorus) [SFS Media]
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Best Orchestral Performance (Award to the Conductor and to the Orchestra.)

Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé - James Levine, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra; Tanglewood Festival Chorus) [BSO Classics]
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Best Opera Recording (Award to the Conductor, Album Producer(s) and Principal Soloists.)

Britten: Billy Budd - Daniel Harding, conductor; Ian Bostridge, Neal Davies, Nathan Gunn, Jonathan Lemalu, Matthew Rose and Gidon Saks; John Fraser, producer (London Symphony Orchestra; Gentlemen Of The London Symphony Chorus) [Virgin Classics]
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Best Choral Performance (Award to the Choral Conductor, and to the Orchestra Conductor if an Orchestra is on the recording, and to the Choral Director or Chorus Master if applicable.)

Mahler: Symphony No. 8 - Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; Ragnar Bohlin, Kevin Fox and Susan McMane, choir directors (Laura Claycomb, Anthony Dean Griffey, Elza van den Heever, Katarina Karnéus, Quinn Kelsey, James Morris, Yvonne Naef and Erin Wall; San Francisco Symphony; Pacific Boychoir, San Francisco Symphony Chorus and San Francisco Girls Chorus) [SFS Media]
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Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra) (Award to the Instrumental Soloist(s) and to the Conductor.)

Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 - Evgeny Kissin, piano; Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor (Philharmonia Orchestra) [EMI Classics]
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Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra) (Award to the Instrumental Soloist.)

Journey To The New World - Sharon Isbin (Joan Baez and Mark O'Connor) [Sony Classical]
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Best Chamber Music Performance (Award to the Artists.)

Intimate Letters - Emerson String Quartet [Deutsche Grammophon]
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Best Small Ensemble Performance (Award to the Ensemble (and to the Conductor.)

Lang, David: The Little Match Girl Passion - Paul Hillier, conductor; Ars Nova Copenhagen and Theatre Of Voices [Harmonia Mundi]
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Best Classical Vocal Performance (Award to the Vocal Soloist(s).)

Verismo - Renée Fleming (Marco Armiliato; Jonas Kaufmann; Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppi Verdi; Coro Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppi Verdi) [Decca]
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Best Classical Contemporary Composition - (A Composer's Award. (For a contemporary classical composition composed within the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year.) Award to the librettist, if applicable.)

Higdon, Jennifer: Percussion Concerto - Jennifer Higdon (Marin Alsop)
Track from: Alsop Conducts MacMillan, Adès, and Higdon [London Philharmonic Orchestra]
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Best Classical Crossover Album - (Award to the Artist(s) and/or to the Conductor.)

Yo-Yo Ma and Friends: Songs Of Joy And Peace - Yo-Yo Ma (Odair Assad, Sergio Assad, Chris Botti, Dave Brubeck, Matt Brubeck, John Clayton, Paquito d'Rivera, Renée Fleming, Diana Krall, Alison Krauss, Natalie McMaster, Edgar Meyer, Cristina Pato, Joshua Redman, Jake Shimabukuro, Silk Road Ensemble, James Taylor, Chris Thile, Wu Tong, Alon Yavnai and Amelia Zirin-Brown)
[Sony Classical]
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Best Surround Sound Disc (not necessarily a Classical category but the winner is an album of classical music!):

Transmigration - Michael Bishop, surround mix engineer; Michael Bishop, surround mastering engineer; Elaine Martone, surround producer (Robert Spano, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Choruses) with John Adams' "On the Transmigration of Souls," Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" and "Agnus Dei,"  John Corigliano's "Elegy," and Jennifer Higdon's "Dooryard Bloom" for voice and orchestra. [Telarc]

- Dr. Dick