Grammy Nominations for Classical Music in 2022

The Grammy nominations for classical music in 2022 have been announced! Here are the highlights.

Best Orchestral Performance

The nominees for Best Orchestral Performance are:

1. Alban Berg: Wozzeck – Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Salonen; Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus
2. Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5 – Osmo Vänskä, conductor; Dovescas; Minnesota Orchestra
3. Brahms: Symphony No. 4 – Pablo Heras-Casado, conductor; Teldex Studio Berlin
4. Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” – Jiří Bělohlávek, conductor; Prague Philharmonia
5. Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9 – Vasily Petrenko, conductor; London Philharmonic Orchestra

Best Opera Recording

The Grammy for Best Opera Recording is awarded to the performers, producers, engineers and/or mixers of an opera album. It was first presented as a separate award in 1959. The following operas have been nominated for the award since its inception:

-Porgy and Bess (1958)
-The Barber of Seville (1960)
-The Tempest (1961)
-Candide (1962)
-The Marriage of Figaro (1964)
-Don Giovanni (1965)
-La Bohème (1966)
-Carmen (1967)
-Dialogues of the Carmelites (1968)
-Madama Butterfly (1969)

Best Choral Performance

Choral music continues to be one of the most popular and widely performed genres of music. There are many different types of choral music, from traditional sacred works to contemporary pop arrangements. The Grammy Awards have been recognizing the best in choral music since 1959, and the category has undergone several name changes and expansions over the years.

This year, the Grammy Awards will once again recognize the best choral performances with the award for Best Choral Performance. This award is given to a conductor or ensemble for a live or recorded choral performance that is released during the eligibility period. Nominations are submitted byRecord labels, producers, and artists. A panel of experts in the field then decides which recordings are worthy of being nominated for a Grammy Award.

The nominees for Best Choral Performance at the 2022 Grammy Awards will be announced in early 2022. Stay tuned to see which recordings are recognized as some of the best in this genre!

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance

Nominees to be announced in December 2021.

Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance

The Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance was first awarded in 1959. It was not awarded again until 1963, and since that time has been awarded every year. The award is given to a vocal soloist or ensemble for a classical vocal performance (of any composition) on an album.

In order to be eligible, the album must have been released within the eligibility year and must be of at least 50 minutes in length. The album can be either a live or studio recording; recordings that are part of a larger work (such as an opera or oratorio) are not eligible.

Best Classical Compendium

The Grammy Awards for classical music were first presented in 1959. Grammys are awarded for recordings of classical music released in the previous year. There are currently ten award categories for classical music.

-Best Classical Compendium: This award is presented to the principal artist, engineer, producer, or mixer of a multi-track album consisting of newly published, commercially released performances by an orchestra, band, or group.
-Best Contemporary Classical Composition: This award is given to the composer of a contemporary classical composition that has had its first recording commercially released during the eligibility period. The composition must not have been previously recorded and must be a minimum of five minutes in duration.
-Best Historical Album: This award is given to the producer(s) responsible for the overall concept and supervision of an album containing at least 51 percent publishable material that is at least 10 years old.
-Best Engineered Album, Classical: This award is presented to the engineer(s) who worked on an album containing at least 51 percent new recordings.
-Producer of the Year, Classical: This award is presented to a Producer responsible for several engineering achievements during the eligibility year that reflect a consistent level of excellence in productions.

Best Contemporary Classical Composition

The Best Contemporary Classical Composition Grammy Award is given to a classical composition of “significant artistic merit” composed within the last 25 years, and only if such works have not been recognized previously at the Grammy Awards. To be eligible, a piece must have been first published, recorded, or released within the eligibility period. This award category was first presented in 2021.

There are no nominees for this award category, only one winner is selected by the vote of the Recording Academy’s Contemporary Classical Music Grammy Committee.

Best Engineered Album, Classical

Nominees to be announced in early 2022.

Producer of the Year, Classical

The Producer of the Year, Classical is awarded to the person(s) responsible for the majority of the sound and engineering for a classical album. The determination of whether an album qualifies as “classical” is made by a voting member of The Academy’s classical music field. Eligibility requirements for Producer of the Year, Classical are as follows: credit must be clearly identified in album liner notes and registration forms as “production” or “produced” by the eligible producer(s); only one producer per album may receive the award, even if multiple producers are credited; producers nominated as part of a team in other categories (e.g., Best Engineered Album, Classical) may be nominated individually in this category; eligible producers must have performed production services during the eligibility period.