The University Of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School Of Music is a center for creativity and collaboration through performance, research and education. Historically rich in tradition, the School of Music is a resource for music research of all kinds in many different fields of study.
The School embraces cutting-edge innovation and discovery while providing an array of musical and engagement opportunities within the artistic and educational communities. Additionally, the curriculum prepares students for professional careers.
This year, nominations for the 63rd Grammy Awards included two alumni and one current student from the School of Music:
- Sophia Byrd (BMA senior, Lyric Theatre) sings on the newly released recording of Place, which received nominations for both Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance and Best Contemporary Classical Composition.
- The Crossing, a new-music choir led by Donald Nally (DMA, 1995, Choral Music), has received its sixth GRAMMY Award nomination in five consecutive years for Carthage (Navona, May 2020), an album featuring six pieces by composer James Primosch. Carthage is nominated in the Best Choral Performance category.
- The Experiential Orchestra, founded by conductor James Blachly (MM, 2013, Orchestra Conducting), is nominated in the category of Best Classical Solo Vocal Album for the recording of Dame Ethel Smyth’s “The Prison.”
The School of Music is part of the College of Fine and Applied Arts. Learn more about the nominations.