67th Grammy Awards Nominations Include Three Sewanee Faculty Members

December 9, 2024

The nominations for the 67th Grammy Awards, announced on Nov. 8, include connections with three faculty members in Sewanee’s Music Department: Kerry Ginger, associate professor of voice; Erik Gustafson, instructor of voice; and Sarah Rimkus, visiting assistant professor of music theory and composition.

Ginger, a mezzo-soprano, represents Sewanee nationally as a voice pedagogue, performer, clinician, and scholar. She sings on True Concord Voices & Orchestra’s album A Dream So Bright: Choral Music of Jake Runestad, which was nominated for Best Choral Performance. This album features two world premiere recordings by Jake Runestad, incorporating text from poets Brian Turner, a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, and Todd Boss. Based in Tucson, Arizona, True Concord incorporates voices and instrumentalists of the highest caliber from across the country and is thriving in its 20th season.

Gustafson, a tenor, is active across the country as a soloist and choral artist. He sings on Skylark Vocal Ensemble’s album Clear Voices in the Dark, which was nominated for both Best Choral Performance and Best Engineered Album, Classical. The album pairs poignant American Civil War-era songs with Francis Poulenc’s Figure Humaine, a cantata composed in 1943 during the Nazi occupation of France. The work employs the poems of Paul Eluard and features eight movements for unaccompanied choir on the themes of war, tragedy, and resistance, evoking a sense of optimism and liberty in the face of oppression. The Boston Globe has described Skylark’s music as “somber and contemplative ... reassuring and ecstatic.” Based in eastern Massachusetts, the ensemble now boasts four Grammy Award nominations.

Rimkus, a composer, has received commissions across the United States and the United Kingdom, including a recent appointment by the multiple Grammy Award–winning professional chamber choir, The Crossing. A vocal ensemble dedicated to performing new music highlighting social, environmental, and political issues, Philadelphia-based The Crossing was nominated for Best Choral Performance for its album Ochre. Last March, The Crossing introduced its audiences to selections from Rimkus’s Babylon, which highlights themes of refugeeism and isolation. The group recently selected Rimkus to be its resident composer for the 2024-2025 season, entitled “Transcendental Idealists.” She has been commissioned to compose a new piece for the ensemble, which will premiere in December 2025.

Presented annually by The Recording Academy, the Grammy Awards provide recognition and appreciation of composers, songwriters, and musicians in the music industry. Two rounds of voting are conducted to determine the nominees and the ultimate winners, which will be announced at the annual ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 2, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

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