Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition

Updated on Nov 24, 2023

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First awarded 1961		Category of Grammy Awards
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The Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition was first awarded in 1961. This award was not presented from 1967 to 1984.

The award has had several minor name changes:

From 1961 to 1962 the award was known as Best Contemporary Classical Composition

In 1963 it was awarded as Best Contemporary Composition

In 1965 it was awarded as Best Composition by a Contemporary Composer

In 1966 and 1964 it was awarded as Best Composition by a Contemporary Classical Composer

In 1985 it was awarded as Best New Classical Composition

From 1986 to 1994 it was again awarded as Best Contemporary Composition

From 1995 to 2011 it was again awarded as Best Classical Contemporary Composition

In 2012 the category was renamed into Best Contemporary Classical Composition

The Grammy is awarded to the composer(s) of a classical piece composed in the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the eligibility year. From 2009 onwards, if the award goes to an opera composition, both the composer and the librettist (if applicable) receive the Grammy.

Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year.

2010s

2017

Michael Daugherty for Tales of Hemingway, performed by Zuill Bailey, Giancarlo Guerrero & the Nashville Symphony

Nominees:

Mason Bates (composer) for Anthology of Fantastic Zoology, performed by Riccardo Muti & Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Jennifer Higdon (composer) and Gene Scheer (librettist) for Cold Mountain, performed by Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Jay Hunter Morris, Emily Fons, Isabel Leonard, Nathan Gunn & The Santa Fe Opera

Christopher Theofanidis for Bassoon Concerto, performed by Martin Kuuskmann, Barry Jekowsky & the Northwest Sinfonia

C.F. Kip Winger for Conversations with Nijinsky, performed by Martin West & the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra

2016

Stephen Paulus for Prayers & Remembrances

Eric Holtan, True Concord Voices & Orchestra - performers

Nominees:

Gerald Barry for The Importance of Being Earnest

Thomas Adés, Barbara Hannigan, Katalin Károlyi, Hilary Summers, Peter Tantsits & Birmingham Contemporary Music Group - performers

Andrew Norman for Play

Gil Rose & Boston Modern Orchestra Project - performers

Joan Tower for Stroke

Giancarlo Guerrero, Cho-Liang Lin & Nashville Symphony - performers

Julia Wolfe for Anthracite Fields

Julian Wachner, The Choir Of Trinity Wall Street & Bang On A Can All Stars - performers

2015

John Luther Adams for Become Ocean

Nominees:

Anna Clyne for Prince of Clouds

George Crumb for Voices From the Heartland

Stephen Paulus for Concerto For Two Trumpets & Band

Roberto Sierra for Sinfonia No. 4

2014: Maria Schneider for Winter Morning Walks

Nominees:

Magnus Lindberg for Piano Concerto No. 2

Arvo Pärt for Adam's Lament

Esa-Pekka Salonen for Violin Concerto

Caroline Shaw for Partita for 8 Voices

2013: Stephen Hartke for Meanwhile - Incidental Music to Imaginary Puppet Plays

Nominees:

Tania Leon for Inura for Voices, Strings and Percussion

Uģis Prauliņš for The Nightingale

Einojuhani Rautavaara for Cello Concerto No. 2 - Towards the Horizon

Steven Stucky for August 4, 1964

2012: Robert Aldridge & Herschel Garfein for Elmer Gantry

Nominees:

George Crumb for The Ghost of Alhambra

Jefferson Friedman for String Quartet no. 3

Steven Mackey for Lonely Motel - Music from Slide

Poul Ruders for Piano Concerto no. 2

2011: Michael Daugherty for Deus ex Machina (from the album Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony by Giancarlo Guerrero)

2010: Jennifer Higdon (composer) for Percussion Concerto, performed by Marin Alsop & London Philharmonia Orchestra

Nominees:

Arvo Pärt for Symphony No. 4 Los Angeles

2000s

2009: John Corigliano (composer) for Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan, performed by JoAnn Falletta & Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

2008: Joan Tower (composer) for Made in America, performed by Leonard Slatkin & Nashville Symphony Orchestra

2007: Osvaldo Golijov (composer) for Ainadamar: Fountain Of Tears, performed by Robert Spano

2006: William Bolcom (composer) for Bolcom: Songs Of Innocence And Of Experience, performed by Leonard Slatkin

2005: John Adams (composer) for On the Transmigration of Souls, performed by Lorin Maazel, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, New York Choral Artists & the New York Philharmonic

2004: Dominick Argento (composer) for "Argento: Casa Guidi", performed by Frederica von Stade, Eiji Oue & the Minnesota Orchestra

2003: Steve Barnett (producer), Preston Smith (engineer), John Tavener (composer), Joseph Jennings (conductor), Chanticleer & the Handel & Haydn Society of Boston for Tavener: Lamentations and Praises

2002: Christopher Rouse (composer), Muhai Tang (conductor), Sharon Isbin & the Gulbenkian Orchestra for Concert de Gaudí for Guitar and Orchestra

2001: George Crumb (composer) & Thomas Conlin for Crumb: Star-Child

2000: Pierre Boulez (composer) & the Ensemble Inter-Contemporain for Boulez: Répons

1990s

1999: Krzysztof Penderecki (composer & conductor), Anne-Sophie Mutter & the London Symphony Orchestra for Penderecki: Violin Concerto No. 2, Metamorphosen

1998: John Adams (composer), Kent Nagano (conductor) & the Hallé Orchestra for Adams: El Dorado

1997: John Corigliano (composer) & the Cleveland Quartet for Corigliano: String Quartet

1996: Olivier Messiaen (composer) & Myung-Whun Chung (conductor) for Messiaen: Concert a Quatre

1995: Stephen Albert (composer), David Zinman (conductor) & Yo-Yo Ma for Albert: Cello Concerto

1994: Elliott Carter (composer), Oliver Knussen (conductor) & the London Symphony Orchestra for Violin Concerto

1993: Samuel Barber (composer), Andrew Schnenck (conductor) & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Barber: The Lovers

1992: John Corigliano (composer), Daniel Barenboim (conductor) & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Corigliano: Symphony No. 1

1991: Leonard Bernstein (composer), Judy Kaye & William Sharp for Bernstein: Arias & Barcarolles

1990: Steve Reich (composer) & the Kronos Quartet for Reich: Different Trains

1980s

1989: John Adams (composer), Edo de Waart (conductor) & the San Francisco Symphony for Adams: Nixon in China

1988: Krzysztof Penderecki (composer & conductor), Mstislav Rostropovich & the Philharmonia Orchestra for Penderecki: Cello Concerto No. 2

1987: Witold Lutosławski (composer) & Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor) for Lutosławski: Symphony No. 3

1986: Andrew Lloyd Webber (composer), Sarah Brightman & Plácido Domingo for Lloyd Webber: Requiem

1985: Samuel Barber (composer) & Christian Badea (conductor) for Antony and Cleopatra

1960s

1966: Charles Ives (composer) for Symphony No. 4, conducted by Leopold Stokowski

1965: Samuel Barber (composer) for Piano Concerto, performed by John Browning

1964: Benjamin Britten (composer & conductor) & the London Symphony Orchestra for Britten: War Requiem

1963: Igor Stravinsky (composer and conductor) for Stravinsky: The Flood

1962: Laurindo Almeida (composer and artist) for Discantus & Igor Stravinsky (composer and artist) for Stravinsky: Movements for Piano and Orchestra

1961: Aaron Copland (composer & conductor) & the Boston Symphony Orchestra for Orchestral Suite from The Tender Land Suite

References

Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

Contents

2010s

2000s

1990s

1980s

1960s

References