Three alumni and one faculty member from the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions at New York University’s Steinhardt School were among the nominees for the 2015 Grammy Awards. The nominations were announced on December 5 by the Recording Academy and comprise an eclectic mix of the music industry’s best and brightest over the past year.
Music business alumni duo Ian Axel (B.Mus., ’07) and Chad Vaccarino (B.Mus., ’07), who comprise A Great Big World, were nominated in the category of Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Say Something” with Christina Aguilera. Other nominees in the category included Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” Coldplay’s “A Sky Full of Stars,” “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry and “Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj.
Music technology alumna Emily Lazar (M.Mus., ’96) was nominated for her work as mastering engineer on Sia’s “Chandelier,” which is in contention for Record of the Year, together with Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” Sam Smith’s “Stay with Me,” Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” and “All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor.
NYU Steinhardt’s Joe Lovano, faculty member in the Jazz Studies Program, received two Grammy nominations – the first in the category of Best Improvised Jazz Solo for “Recorda Me” from the album The Latin Size of Joe Henderson, which also earned he and Conrad Herwig a nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album. Lovano previously won a Grammy in 2000 for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for 52nd Street Themes.
The 57th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Feb. 8, 2015, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast live on CBS from 8 – 11:30 p.m.
About NYU Steinhardt Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions:
Established in 1924, Steinhardt’s Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions (MPAP) is a leading research and practice center in music technology, music business, music composition, film scoring, songwriting, music performance practices, performing arts therapies, and the performing arts-in-education (music, dance, and drama). Prominent alumni include: jazz great Wayne Shorter, music theatre composer and songwriter Cy Coleman, lyricist Betty Comden, composer Elmer Bernstein, and playwright and film writer John Patrick Shanley. Visit here for more information.
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