Multiple University of Illinois Alumni nominated for Grammy Awards

Multiple University of Illinois Alumni nominated for Grammy Awards

Several University of Illinois School of Music alumni have been nominated for GRAMMY awards.

Composition alum and recent guest artist Donnacha Dennehy (MM ’94, DMA ’14) was nominated for two Grammy Awards: “Best Classical Composition” and “Best Chamber Music Performance” for his new work Land of Winter with Alarm Will Sound. Dennehy recently visited Illinois on November 1st for a concert featuring his music and a world premiere performance at the University of Illinois 2025 New Music Festival. Faculty member Josh Graham commissioned a piece from him using a grant from the Koussevitzky Foundation at the Library of Congress.

Conducting alumna Carolyn Kuan (MM ’01) was nominated for the 2026 Grammy Award “Best Opera Recording” for conducting Huang Ruo’s An American Soldier with the American Composers Orchestra. Kuan recently debuted with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2024. She is currently the Music Director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.

Two choral alumni have been nominated for the 2026 Grammy Awards category of “Best Choral Performance.” Craig Hella Johnson (MM ’85) has been nominated for conducting Mark Buller’s advena: liturgies for a broken world with Conspirare, and Donald Nally (DMA ’95) has been nominated for conducting David Lang’s poor hymnal with The Crossing. Donald Nally recently received the University of Illinois FAA Distinguished Legacy Award. Between the two ensembles, they have received 23 nominations and 5 awards over the years.

Watch the 2026 Grammy nomination videos here. The 2026 Grammy Awards will be announced on Sunday, Feb. 1. The Recording Academy will broadcast live on CBS and stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

Did we miss anyone? If you or someone you know from the University of Illinois was omitted from this list, contact music-pe@illinois.edu, so we can include you in our announcements.