Jessie Montgomery and Charlie Post receive Grammy nominations

Jessie Montgomery and Charlie Post, two members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association family, are nominated for the 66th annual Grammy Awards, the U.S. music industry’s highest honor. The nominees were announced Nov. 10 via a live stream from Los Angeles.

Montgomery, the CSO’s Mead Composer-in-Residence, is nominated for best contemporary classical composition for Rounds, recorded by pianist Awadagin Pratt on his 2023 album “Stillpoint” (New Amsterdam Records). Rounds leads off the disc, which features works by Tyshawn Sorey, Paola Prestini, Alvin Singleton and others. The recording is a collaboration with the groups a Roomful of Teeth and a Far Cry.

CSO audio engineer Post, who already has two Grammys, picked up his third nomination for best engineered album, classical, for “Contemporary American Composers” (CSO Resound) with Riccardo Muti conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He shares the nomination with New York-based David Frost and Silas Brown. Frost, a 22-time Grammy winner, also is nominated as producer of the year, classical, for his 2023 body of work, including the CSO’s “Contemporary American Composers.”

Also nominated for best classical composition is Missy Mazzoli, former CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence, for Dark With Excessive Bright, originally written in 2018 as a concerto for bass (or violin) and a string orchestra. This nomination is for a version performed by vioiinist Peter Herresthal with the Bergen Philharmonic, conducted by James Gaffigan. Dark With Excessive Bright, as performed by Herresthal and the Arctic Philharmonic, led by Tim Weiss. also is nominated in the best classical compendium category.

Several artists appearing or represented on CSO or Symphony Center Presents programs this season also received nominations:

Meshell Ndegeocello (SCP Jazz, Jan. 19), “The Omnichord Real Book,” best alternative jazz album.

Edgar Meyer (CSO, The Elements, June 13-15), “As We Speak” (with Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Rakesh Chaurasia), best contemporary instrumental album.

Esa-Pekka Salonen (CSO, May 23-25): Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring with the San Francisco Symphony, best orchestral performance, and Ligeti: Lux Aeterna with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, best choral performance.

Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax & Leonidas Kavakos (SCP Chamber Music, Feb. 3), “Beethoven for Three,” best chamber music/small ensemble performance.

Curtis Stewart (MusicNOW, March 3), Of Love (with Aaron Diehl Trio and The Knights), best classlcal instrumental solo. Composer-violinist Stewart will perform Of Love at this MusicNOW program.

Yuja Wang (CSO, April 4-6), “The American Project,” performed with  conductor Teddy Abrams and the Louisville Orchestra.

For a complete list of nominees, go to grammy.com. Grammy winners will be announced Feb 4 at a ceremony, telecast live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.