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

Donald Nally, professor emeritus of the Bienen School of Music, won his fourth Grammy Award to date with The Crossing for best choral performance. This latest honor recognizes Ochre, an album featuring music by George Lewis, Ayanna Woods, and Caroline Shaw.

Alumni contributors to Ochre include assistant conductor and co-producer Kevin Vondrak ’17 MMus, guest keyboardist Tim Lambert ’23 MMus, 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.

Nally and The Crossing have been nominated for 10 Grammy awards over nine consecutive years and previously won best choral performance for Born (2023), Zealot Canticles (2019), and The Fifth Century (2018). The ensemble holds the record for the most consecutive years of nominations in that category.

Bienen alumni also performed on Grammy-winning albums as members of ensembles including the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra (producer of the year, classical), Los Angeles Philharmonic (best orchestral performance), Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (best engineered album, classical), and San Francisco Symphony Orchestra (best opera recording).

Several Bienen alumni were among the nominees of the 67th Grammy Awards. JACK Quartet—which includes violinist Austin Wulliman ’08 MMus—was nominated for best chamber music/small ensemble performance for Waves & Particles. In that same category, Elisa Sutherland ’12, ’14 MMus performed with Lorelei Ensemble on the album Beaufort Scales. Saxophonist Timothy E. Roberts ’87 performed as a collaborative artist on the album Bespoke Songs, which received a nomination for best classical solo vocal album.

Desirée Ruhstrat, Bienen violin faculty member, received a Latin Grammy nomination with Lincoln Trio for best classical album for Fantasies of Buenos Aires.