Photo, above: The Crossing with conductor Donald Nally (far right). Photo by Charles Grove.

Bienen School of Music professor emeritus Donald Nally has received his tenth Grammy nomination to date and several Bienen alumni are also among the 2025 nominees.

Nally and The Crossing were nominated for Ochre, marking their ninth consecutive year recognized in the category of best choral performance. The ensemble now holds the record for the most consecutive years of nominations in that category. Nally and The Crossing previously won Grammys for Born (2023), Zealot Canticles (2019), and The Fifth Century (2018).

Alumni contributors to Ochre included Kevin Vondrak ’17 MMus, assistant conductor and co-producer; Tim Lambert ’23 MMus, guest keyboardist; and vocalists Walter Aldrich ’20 MMus, Isobel Anthony ’23 MMus, doctoral student Matthew Cramer, Micah Dingler ’09 MMus, Dimitri German ’16 MMus, Michael Jones ’14 MMus, Lauren Kelly ’19 MMus, Chelsea Lyons ’17 MMus, James Reese ’15, Tiana Sorenson ’19 MMus, and Elisa Sutherland ’12, ’14 MMus.

Sutherland was also a performer with Lorelei Ensemble on the album Beaufort Scales, which is nominated in the category of best chamber music/small ensemble performance.

JACK Quartet—which includes violinist Austin Wulliman ’08 MMus—is nominated for best chamber music/small ensemble performance for Waves & Particles. The quartet was nominated in the same category in 2021.

Saxophonist Timothy E. Roberts ’87 is a collaborative artist on the album Bespoke Songs, which received a nomination for best classical solo vocal album.

Several Bienen alumni also performed on Grammy-nominated albums as members of ensembles, including the Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras; Cleveland Orchestra; Berlin, Buffalo, and Los Angeles Philharmonics; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Eighth Blackbird; and Metropolis Ensemble.

Previous recipients of the Bienen School’s international prizes are also among the Grammy nominees, including Jean Gimbel Lane Prize in Piano Performance winner Emanuel Ax and Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition winners John Adams, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Kaija Saariaho.

Winners of the 67th Grammy Awards will be announced Sunday, February 2, 2025.

Earlier this year, Bienen violin faculty member Desirée Ruhstrat received a Latin Grammy nomination with Lincoln Trio for best classical album for Fantasies of Buenos Aires. Winners of the 25th Latin Grammy Awards will be announced November 14, 2024.

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