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Gadd, Fleming, and Puts are among Eastman alums with '23 Grammy nominations

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Steve Gadd is one of several Eastman School  graduates to receive a 2023 Grammy nomination. - PHOTO BY PALOMA CAPANNA
  • PHOTO BY PALOMA CAPANNA
  • Steve Gadd is one of several Eastman School graduates to receive a 2023 Grammy nomination.
It’s impossible to go through the annual list of Grammy Award nominees without seeing several Rochester connections. The 65th Grammy Awards — to be held in Los Angeles on Feb. 5 — have named the 2023 nominees, and Eastman School of Music alumni continue to show out.

Check back here for updates; here are the locally linked nominees:
  • Steve Gadd ’68E was nominated for “Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album,” for his collaboration with Eddie Gomez, Ronnie Cuber and WDR Big Band (conducted by Michael Abene) on “Center Stage.”
  • Renée Fleming ’83E (MM) was nominated for “Best Classical Solo Vocal Album,” for her performance with pianist Yannick Nézet-Séguin on “Voice of Nature — The Anthropocene.”

  • Kevin Puts ’94E, ’99E (DMA) was nominated for “Best Contemporary Classical Composition,” for the work “Contact,” performed by Xian Zhang, Time for Three, and The Philadelphia Orchestra.

  • Double bassist Ron Carter '59E was nominated for "Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album," for his work with The Jazzaar Festival Big Band (directed by Christian Jacob) on "Remembering Bob Freedman."

  • Third Coast Percussion, which includes Sean Connors ’04E and a current doctoral candidate, was nominated for “Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance,” for “Perspectives.”

  • The JACK Quartet, which includes Christopher Otto ’06E, violin, and John Pickford Richards ’02E, ’04E (MM), viola, played on composer Derek Bermel’s “Intonations,” which was nominated for Best Contemporary Classical Composition.
  • PUBLIQuartet, which includes violinist Curtist Stewart '08E, was nominated for "Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble" for its performance of "What Is American."
  • Clarinetist Seunghee Lee '90E performed on "Aspire" — which was nominated for "Best Classical Compendium" — along with bandoneonist JP Jofre, conductor Enrico Fagone, and producer Jonathan Allen.



  • Coloratura soprano Erin Morley '02E performed on "Aucoin: Eurydice" — which was nominated for Best Opera Recording — along with conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, tenor Barry Banks, bass-baritone Nathan Berg, baritone Joshua Hopkins, and countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński, producer David Frost, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and The Metropolitan Opera Chorus.

  • Pianist Paul Sánchez '09E (MM), '13E (DMA) performed alongside  soloist Will Liverman on "Okpebholo: Lord, How Come Me Here?" which was nominated for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album."

  • Bob Ludwig '66E, '01E was the mastering engineer on the 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition of Wilco's album "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," which was nominated for "Best Historical Album."
Daniel J. Kushner is CITY's arts editor. He can be reached at [email protected].