Broadcast from the Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Sunday night, the 61st annual Grammy Awards have announced the winners.
This year, out of the total of six Canadian artists and groups nominated over the 10 classical music categories, it was Canadian violinist James Ehnes who took home an award in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category for the Kernis: Violin Concerto. The album’s namesake composition also won for Best Contemporary Classical Composition, making it a double win for Ehnes.
While classical music was not part of the nine categories given out on air, the Recording Academy announced the winners prior to the televised show.
The full list of winners in the classical field are:
Best Orchestral Performance:
- Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 11 — Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
Best Opera Recording
- Bates: The (R)Evolution Of Steve Jobs — Michael Christie, conductor; Sasha Cooke, Jessica E. Jones, Edwards Parks, Garrett Sorenson & Wei Wu; Elizabeth Ostrow, producer (The Santa Fe Opera Orchestra)
Best Choral Performance
- “McLoskey: Zealot Canticles,” Donald Nally, conductor
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
- Anderson, Laurie: Landfall — Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet
Best Classical Instrumental Solo
- Kernis: Violin Concerto — James Ehnes; Ludovic Morlot, conductor (Seattle Symphony)
Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
- Songs Of Orpheus — Monteverdi, Caccini, D’india & Landi — Karim Sulayman; Jeannette Sorrell, conductor; Apollo’s Fire, ensembles
Best Classical Compendium
- Fuchs: Piano Concerto ‘Spiritualist’; Poems Of Life; Glacier; Rush — JoAnn Falletta, conductor; Tim Handley, producer
Best Contemporary Classical Composition
- Kernis: Violin Concerto — Aaron Jay Kernis, composer (James Ehnes, Ludovic Morlot & Seattle Symphony)
Best Engineered Album, Classical
- Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 11 — Shawn Murphy & Nick Squire, engineers; Tim Martyn, mastering engineer (Andris Nelsons & Boston Symphony Orchestra)
Producer Of The Year, Classical
- Blanton Alspaugh
Congratulations to all the winners!
For a complete list of the 2019 Grammy Award classical nominees see, here.