Violinist Curtis Stewart Nominated for Two 2025 Grammy Awards

November 8, 2024, 2:28 PM · Congratulations to violinist Curtis Stewart, as well as all the nominees announced Friday for the Recording Academy's 67th Grammy Awards, which will be presented Feb. 2 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Violinist Curtis Stewart.

Stewart was nominated in two categories: Best Classical Compendium for the album American Counterpoints, and Best Classical Instrumental Solo for his performance on that album of Julia Perry's "Concerto for Violin & Orchestra" with the Experiential Orchestra, conducted by James Blachly. The album was produced by Blanton Alspaugh.

The album shines a light on the work of the composer Julia Perry, who composed her violin concerto in 1968, but likely never saw it performed in her lifetime - she died in 1979 at age 55. The violin concerto was premiered by violinist Roger Zahab in 2022 with the University of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. "American Counterpoints" presents the official world-premiere recording of the work.

Born in 1924, Perry studied composition with Luigi Dallapiccola and Nadia Boulanger and was one of the first African American female composers to have an orchestral work performed by the New York Philharmonic. The album also features Perry's Prelude for Strings, Symphony in One Movement for Violas and String Basses, and "Ye, Who Seek the Truth"; as well as works by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson - "Louisiana Blues Strut" and Sinfonietta No. 1. It concludes with "We Who Seek" by Stewart himself.

BELOW: Julia Perry: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra: I. Slow; Moderate; Fast; Moderate

Other notable nominations for string players:

In the category of Best Classical Instrumental Solo, cellist Seth Parker Woods was nominated for his performance of The Holy Presence of Joan d’Arc by composer Julius Eastman (1940-1990), with Wild Up, conducted by Christopher Rountree.

Nominated in the category of Best Contemporary Classical Composition was the composition “Seven” for Solo Cello by composer Andrea Casarrubios and performed by cellist Thomas Mesa. The piece is "a tribute to the essential workers during the global COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to those who lost lives and are still suffering from the crisis. The piece ends with seven bell-like sounds, alluding to New York City’s daily 7 p.m. tribute during the lockdown - the moment when New Yorkers clapped from their windows connecting with each other and expressing appreciation for those on the front lines."

Click here for the entire list of 2025 Grammy nominees. Please feel free to highlight any nominations that stand out to you, in the comments section.

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Violinist Curtis Stewart Nominated for Two 2025 Grammy Awards

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