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Opera singer Isabel Leonard photographed in 2017

Soprano Isabel Leonard

Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images)

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Lineup Set For GRAMMY Classical Salute With Lang Lang

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GRAMMY Salute To Classical Music on Jan. 26 to feature Kiana Ledé, Ledisi, Isabel Leonard, Pablo Sainz Villegas, Time For Three, and young pianists celebrating the legacy of Leonard Bernstein
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Jan 23, 2018 - 2:11 pm

Now that GRAMMY Week is here, performers have been announced for the Jan. 26 GRAMMY Salute To Classical Music, hosted by pianist Lang Lang at Carnegie Hall in New York. The rich line-up includes seasoned GRAMMY winners and nominees along with piano prodigies and a youth choir. Let's take a closer look.

The theme of this year's event is celebrating the legacy of legendary composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein. The Recording Academy, in conjunction with CAMI Music, prepared a program ready to take its place among the worldwide performances celebrating "Leonard Bernstein at 100."

To celebrate, the GRAMMY Salute To Classical Music has assembled a world-class collection of multigenre artists who will perform, including soprano Isabel Leonard, R&B star Ledisi, string trio Time For Three, Los Angeles-based R&B artist Kiana Ledé, and Spanish guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas. In addition, Lang Lang's Lang Lang International Music Foundation will be featured onstage as more than a dozen young prodigies share their musical insights into Bernstein's vision.

Concluding the program, a youth chorus from The Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, founded by Tony Bennett, and members of the Harmony Program will perform the finale with Leonard for a multigenerational look to the past and the future.

Like classical music itself, Bernstein's legacy is alive. Friday night will be a chance to enjoy its flourishing.

Lang Lang To Celebrate Leonard Bernstein: GRAMMY Salute To Classical Music

Isabel Leonard

Isabel Leonard

Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

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GRAMMY Salute To Classical Music Salutes Leonard Bernstein, "West Side Story"

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With assists from Lang Lang, Ledisi and Isabel Leonard, a variety of selections from the famed composer formed the centerpiece of a classical celebration at the venerable Carnegie Hall
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Jan 26, 2018 - 5:14 pm

There are a variety of delightful ways to spend a chilly Friday afternoon in New York. But taking in a matinee performance at Carnegie Hall just might rank at the top of the list.

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With GRAMMY Week kicking into high gear, the famed New York venue played host to the GRAMMY Salute To Classical Music, a program paying tribute to — as co-host Lang Lang described — one of the "greatest American musicians": legendary composer Leonard Bernstein. The event doubled as one of the 2,500 programs commemorating the composer's 100th birthday.

The location couldn't have been more appropriate as co-host Jamie Bernstein, and daughter of Leonard Bernstein, explained her father "conducted hundreds of concerts" at Carnegie Hall.

Ledisi at the 2018 GRAMMY Salute To Classical Music at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Jan. 26, 2018
2018 GRAMMY Salute To Classical Music

The brisk menu of performances was predominantly comprised of selections from Bernstein's incomparable "West Side Story," a musical that is not only arguably the 16-time GRAMMY winner's benchmark but is very much a timeless capsule of New York City given its storyline takes place in the Upper West Side neighborhood.

"My father believed in the power of music to promote peace and brotherhood, which inspired the music of 'West Side Story,'" said Jamie Bernstein.

Kicking off the proceedings was "Overture To Candide," a piece Bernstein composed for the 1956 operetta "Candide." The lilting number was given a fresh interpretation by a sextet of young pianists, Chelsea Guo, Eden Chen, Maxim Lando, Elliot Wuu, Clayton Stephenson, and Kimberly Han — all of whom are prodigies affiliated with Lang Lang's International Music Foundation, which is dedicated to ensuring children have access to music education.

The sound of nylon strings filled the hall as classical guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas plucked his way through two dynamic Francisco Tárrega pieces, "Memories Of Alhambra" and "Gran Jota De Concierto." The nimble-fingered Villegas also played a trio of selections from "West Side Story," including the romantic "Maria."

Vocalist Kiana Ledé brought some authentic Broadway-esque bravado to the proceedings with a reading of the upbeat "100 Easy Ways To Lose A Man," a selection from Bernstein's music to 1953's "Wonderful Town."

The trio Time For Three — violinists Nick Kendall and Charles Yang and double bassist Ranaan Meyer — performed an inventive arrangement of "Something's Coming" from "West Side Story."

Current GRAMMY nominee Ledisi showcased an operatic side of her voice. The R&B singer performed a song about "unadulterated joy," "A Simple Song" from Bernstein's 1971 theater work, "Mass." Ledisi punctuated her performance with fist pumps as she walked off stage.

Jamie Bernstein explained that her father wrote the next song as a "plea for all of us to keep our country honest and open-hearted." Mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, an acclaimed singer who "grew up listening to the music of Bernstein," helmed the aptly titled "Take Care Of This House" from Bernstein's "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" (named after the address of the White House). Accompanied by pianist Michael Barrett, Leonard's voice resonated to the hall's upper balcony.

"[This is] one of the most moving pieces ever wrote by Bernstein," Lang Lang explained as he introduced the finale, "Somewhere" from "West Side Story."

With Lang Lang joined by singers from the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts Chorus, the moving number — and its sentiment of "there's a place for us, somewhere a place for us" — seemed a perfect way to pull the curtain on the day's celebration of Bernstein and classical music.

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Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow

Neil Portnow

Photo: Michael Kovac/WireImage.com

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2018 GRAMMY Week: Entertainment Law Event Selects Scholarship Winners

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Rebecca Pollack's paper on the DMCA and runner-up Megan Abner's on the FCC win the 20th annual ELI writing competition and scholarship
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Jan 18, 2018 - 12:37 pm

On Jan. 18, the Recording Academy announced the winners of the 20th annual Entertainment Law Initiative writing competition.

Entertainment Law Initiative Luncheon Highlights

Rebecca Pollack of Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Ore., wrote the winning paper for this year's competition, titled "Innovation Or Exploitation: Is It Time To Update The DMCA Safe Harbors?" Digital Millennium Copyright Act safe harbors were meant to protect passive internet hosts but fail to address repetitive uploading of infringing material to online platforms. Pollack receives the scholarship's top award of $10,000.

The runner-up is Megan Abner from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New York City. Her paper was on "Effects Of The FCC's 'Internet Freedom' On The Music Industry And Potential Collaborative Solutions." She will receive a $2,500 scholarship.

The GRAMMY Week event will be held on Jan. 26 at Worldwide Plaza in New York and is the nation's preeminent gathering for entertainment attorneys. It provides a forum to explore important legal issues, honor outstanding practitioners and support the next generation of arts lawyers through the ELI writing and scholarship competition.

Both Abner and Pollack will attend GRAMMY Week's Entertainment Law Initiative event, which will include a keynote from New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and service award presentations to attorneys Allen Grubman and Michael Reinert. The former will receive a Recording Academy President's Merit Award from Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow in recognition of his many years of work protecting the interest of music creators. A small number of tickets remain available for the luncheon.

The ELI writing competition is co-sponsored by the American Bar Association Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries.

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ASCAP Logo

Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

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ASCAP Makes Disaster Relief Donation To MusiCares

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Donation will help music community members most affected by the fires
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Dec 27, 2018 - 11:59 am

Performing rights organization ASCAP announced on Dec. 18 that it is donating to MusiCares to support music's creators including those "affected by the recent wildfires in northern and southern California" needing help with food, shelter and replacement of instruments or equipment.

"We are truly grateful for the support and ongoing partnership of ASCAP," said Recording Academy and MusiCares President/CEO Neil Portnow. "Their work on behalf of music people is vital, and their generosity to the music community is equally strong. This donation demonstrates how the music industry works together to take care of their own."

"We have all been stunned by the devastation caused by the California fires and the heartache and loss suffered by our members who reside there," said ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams, winner of three GRAMMY awards as a songwriter. "ASCAP has always been an advocate for music creators, and faced with these terrible circumstances, we have their backs. We are pleased to work with MusiCares to get help to those who need it most."

Members may make disaster relief requests by contacting MusiCares toll-free at 1.800.687.4227.

For those wishing to donate, the "Gift Designation" choice at MusiCares' donation page offers "Disaster Relief" as a selection.

"The music community knows that it can turn to MusiCares in times of distress," said ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews. "They have the organization and the infrastructure necessary to respond to these horrible events and help members of the music community in times of need. We're glad to work with MusiCares once again to ensure that our funds reach the people most affected by the fires."

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Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse Best New Artist winner for 2007 | Photo: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

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How Does An Artist Qualify For The Best New Artist GRAMMY Category?

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Take a closer look at the Recording Academy's qualification rules to determine which artists can be considered in the Best New Artist category
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Dec 8, 2018 - 8:59 am

Each year the selection of GRAMMY nominees is the result of careful consideration and voting by Recording Academy members, who must both follow hard-and-fast rules as well as exercise their expert musical judgement. The Best New Artist category highlights newcomers — whether a solo artist, duo or group — but since "new" is a relative term, let's take a closer look at how making the cut is determined.

First of all, eligible artists must have achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and impacted the musical landscape during the year's eligibility period. This speaks to the essence of why Best New Artist is one of the most-anticipated categories each year, honoring exciting new talent in the music world. But sometimes rising stars take a while to reach this point, so numerical limits also help define the criteria for being "new" in this category.

The first numerical rule boils eligibility down to the number of an artist's releases. The minimum required is five singles or tracks or a complete album. The maximum is either three albums or a total of 30 singles or tracks previously released. Having more than this number of releases results in being ineligible even when an artist breaks through into public consciousness and impacts the musical landscape in a given eligibility period.

However, even if this numerical release criterion is met, an artist may still be deemed ineligible if the artist achieved previous prominence, meaning the artist came into prominence prior to the current eligibility year.

Another numerical limit is that an artist cannot have been considered more than three times previously for Best New Artist. This also applies to solo artists who emerge from having performed as a member in previous groups. That's right, being previously considered three times either as a solo artist, in a previous band, or some mixture of the two means an artist is not eligible for Best New Artist consideration.

For more valuable and illuminating information on all things GRAMMY Awards process, head over to GRAMMY101.com, or reach out to the Awards Help Desk at 877.637.6816, and don't forget to tune in Feb. 10.

See The Full List Of Nominees For The 61st GRAMMY Awards