GRAMMY® Winner: Classical Compendium

Reference Recordings would like to congratulate Nadia Shpachenko, producers Victor and Marina A. Ledin, and recording engineer Barry Werger-Gottesman on their 2020 GRAMMY® Award for Best Classical Compendium for The Poetry of Places!

The Poetry of Places

Nadia Shpachenko’s latest Reference Recordings release The Poetry of Places features World Premiere recordings of works for solo piano, for two pianos, percussion, electronics, voice, and toy piano in a fascinating mélange inspired by great architecture and places. The eight compositions monumentalize places as wildly diverse as the Copland House in Cortlandt, NY, The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Louis Kahn’s National Assembly Buildings in Bangladesh, Newgrange Ancient Temple in Ireland, and Frank Gehry’s House in Santa Monica, CA. Included is a significant new work from Andrew Norman, Frank’s House, for two pianos and percussion, and another large work from Nina C. Young, Kolokol, for two pianos and electronics (a ‘fantasy’ inspired by Russian Orthodox Church Bells). Additionally, six solo works were written specifically for this project by Amy Beth Kirsten, Hannah Lash, James Matheson, Harold Meltzer, Lewis Spratlan, and Jack Van Zandt. The composers use very different musical approaches and sonic techniques in response to their chosen spaces.

Watch The Acceptance!

Congratulations Also to Blanton Alpsaugh!

Reference Recordings would also like to congratulate Blanton Alspaugh on his 2020 GRAMMY® Award for Producer of the Year, Classical for his work as producer of the PaTRAM Institute Singers recording of Kurt Sander: The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom!

Further Congratulations

We would also like to re-congratulate all of our other artists, producers, and engineers who were nominated for the 2020 GRAMMY® Awards:

Best Immersive Audio Album  

Keith O. Johnson, immersive audio engineer; Keith O. Johnson, immersive audio mastering engineer; Marina A. Ledin & Victor Ledin, immersive audio producers for The Orchestral Organ, Jan Kraybill, organist

Best Engineered, Classical  

Keith O. Johnson & Sean Royce Martin, engineers; Keith O. Johnson, mastering engineer for Rachmaninoff, Hermitage Piano Trio

Best Engineered, Classical

Mark Donahue, engineer and mastering engineer for Bruckner: Symphony No. 9, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Manfred Honeck, conductor

Best Orchestral Performance

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Manfred Honeck, conductor

Best Choral Performance

Kurt Sander: The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, PaTRAM Institute Singers, Peter Jermihov, conductor

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance

Rachmaninoff, Hermitage Piano Trio

Best Classical Instrumental Solo

The Orchestral Organ, Jan Kraybill, organist

Producer of the Year, Classical

Dirk Sobotka for Bruckner: Symphony No. 9, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Manfred Honeck, conductor

Producer of the Year, Classical

Marina A. Ledin, Victor Ledin for The Orchestral Organ (Jan Kraybill), Rachmaninoff (Hermitage Piano Trio), The Poetry of Places (Nadia Shpachenko), Bates: Children of Adam; Vaughan Williams: Dona Nobis Pacem (Richmond Symphony, Richmond Symphony Chorus, Steven Smith, conductor)