Dudamel, Angel and Rouse among Grammy winners

Angel Blue, Gustavo Dudamel and composer Christopher Rouse were among the classical music winners at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. The ceremony took place on 15 March outdoors at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Dudamel and the Los Angels Philharmonic got the nod in the Best Orchestral Performance category for their Ives: Complete Symphonies. It is Dudamel’s third Grammy win, having previously collected prizes in 2019 and 2011.

In Best Opera Recording the prize went to The Metropolitan Opera for Gershwin: Porgy and Bess, with a cast including Angel Blue, Frederick Ballentine, Denyce Graves, Latonia Moore and Eric Owens. David Robertson conducted, with producer David Frost also winning Producer of the Year for his work on the album.

In the Best Choral Performance category, Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and UCLA Chamber Singers took home the prize. They were nominated for their work on the album Danielpour: The Passion of Yeshuah.

Meanwhile, the Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance prize went to Pacifica Quartet for Contemporary Voices; Best Classical Instrumental Solo was awarded to violist Richard O’Neill and the Albany Symphony for Theofanidis: Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestra; Christopher Rouse collected the Best Contemporary Classical Composition prize; and Sarah Brailey and Dashon Burton won in the Best Classical Solo Vocal Album for Smyth: The Prison.

The other major announcement of the night was that mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne picked up a lifetime achievement award. She has won four Grammys and been nominated a further 15 times.