New England Conservatory
and Grammy Awards
Each year New England Conservatory musicians working in a broad range of musical genres are recognized by their recording industry peers with Grammy Award nominations. On this page we have attempted to capture some of the Grammy winners with NEC affiliations.
(Read more about the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences, which gives out the Grammy Awards.)
Grammy Award winners with NEC affiliations
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2007 Awards
announced 10 February 2008
Album of the Year: River: The Joni Letters - Herbie Hancock with featured artists including vocalist Luciana Souza '94 M.M. and a band including bassist Dave Holland, NEC visiting artist-in-residence
Best Contemporary Jazz Album: River: The Joni Letters (as above)
Best Latin Jazz Album: Funk Tango - Paquito D'Rivera Quintet (quintet includes bassist Oscar Stagnaro of the faculty)
Best Classical Album: Tower: Made in America (This work by Joan Tower '06 hon. D.M. is recognized in its recording by the Nashville Symphony. The work itself is the result of a 50-state joint commission that was administered by NEC alumna Hilary Field '88. Its first performance was conducted by NEC alumnus and Director of Wind Ensembles Charles Peltz '85 M.M. with the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra. The GFSO was one of the lead orchestras in conceiving of and launching this ambitious consortium.)
Best Orchestral Performance: Tower: Made in America (as above)
Best Classical Contemporary Composition: Made in America (as above)
2006 Awards
announced 11 February 2007
Best Jazz Vocal Album: Nancy Wilson - Turned to Blue (performers include vibraphonist Dave Samuels of the faculty)
Best Contemporary World Music Album: The Klezmatics - Wonder Wheel (group includes Matt Darriau '91 and Frank London '80)
2005 Awards
Best Jazz Instrumental Album - Individual or Group: Wayne Shorter Quartet - Beyond the Sound Barrier (quartet includes pianist Danilo Perez of the NEC faculty)
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2003 Awards
Best Jazz Instrumental Album - Individual or Group: Wayne Shorter - Alegria (performers include pianist Danilo Perez of the NEC faculty)
Best Latin Jazz Album: Brazilian Dreams - Paquito D'Rivera Quintet (quintet includes bassist Oscar Stagnaro of the faculty)
Best Chamber Music Performance: Berg: Lyric Suite - Kronos Quartet & Dawn Upshaw, soprano (Jennifer Culp '83 M.M. was cellist of the quartet on this recording)
2002 Awards
Best Latin Jazz Album: Caribbean Jazz Project (Dave Samuels of the faculty is co-leader of this project; performers include bassist Oscar Stagnaro of the faculty)
2001 Awards
Best Latin Jazz Album: Live at the Blue Note - Paquito D'Rivera Quintet (quintet includes bassist Oscar Stagnaro of the faculty)
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2000 Awards
Best Opera Recording: Busoni: Doktor Faust (Ferruccio Busoni taught at NEC in the 1890s)
Best Small Ensemble Performance (with or without Conductor): Shadow Dances - Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Donald Palma is a founding member of Orpheus and directs NEC's conductorless Chamber Orchestra)
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1999 Awards
Musical Show Album: Annie Get Your Gun (Stephen Ferrera '76, producer)
Jazz Instrumental Performance: Like Minds - Gary Burton, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Roy Haynes, Dave Holland (NEC visiting artist-in-residence)
Small Ensemble Performance: Colors of Love - Chanticleer and Joseph Jennings (includes founding member and associate conductor Frank Albinder '82 M.M., '83 M.M., who designed the concept for this album)
1997 Awards
Classical Album and
Instrumental Soloist(s) with Orchestra: Premieres - Cello Concertos by composers including Richard Danielpour '80 - Philadelphia Orchestra, David Zinman, Yo-Yo Ma
Instrumental Arrangement: Straight, No Chaser - Bill Holman '91 M.M.
1996 Awards
Best Chamber Music Performance: Cleveland Quartet - The Farewell Recording (NEC faculty member Paul Katz was cellist on this recording)
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1995 Awards
Best Historical Album: The Heifetz Collection - NEC President Emeritus Laurence Lesser is among the album notes writers acknowledged with this award
Best Choral Performance: Brahms: Ein Deutches Requiem - Herbert Blomstedt '52 conducts the San Francisco Symphony & Chorus
Best Chamber Music Performance: Clarinet Trios - clarinetist Richard Stoltzman of the NEC faculty with Emanuel Ax, piano, and Yo-Yo Ma, cello
1993 Awards
Best Jazz Instrumental Performance (individual or group): Joe Henderson - So Near, So Far (Musings for Miles) (group included bassist Dave Holland, NEC visiting artist-in-residence)
1992 Awards
Best Choral Performance: Brahms: Orff: Carmina Burana - Herbert Blomstedt '52 conducts the San Francisco Symphony & Chorus
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1991 Awards
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance: Dizzy Gillespie & the United Nation Orchestra - Live at the Royal Festival Hall (this group included pianist Danilo Perez of the NEC faculty)
Best Traditional Folk Album: The Civil War (soundtrack) (includes improvisations based on traditional American songs performed by Third Stream pianist Jacqueline Schwab '83)
1988 Awards
Best Jazz Instrumental Performance - Group: Blues for Coltrane - performers include bassist Cecil McBee of the faculty
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1982 Awards
Best Traditional Blues Recording: Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown - Alright Again! (group included trumpeter Stanton Davis '72)
Best Chamber Music Performance: Brahms Sonatas for Clarinet and Piano- clarinetist Richard Stoltzman of the NEC faculty with Richard Goode, piano
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1973 Awards
Best Chamber Music Performance: Gunther Schuller, New England Ragtime Ensemble - Joplin: The Red Back Book
updated 12 February 2008