The US cellist won the category for Best Classical Instrumental Solo with his album of Shostakovich cello concertos
The 2026 Grammy award ceremony took place on 1 February in Los Angeles, CA, US, and marked a significant milestone for US cellist Yo-Yo Ma as he received his 20th Grammy Award.
Ma received the award for the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category for his album Shostakovich: The Cello Concertos, recorded with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and conductor Andris Nelsons. Ma was not in attendance at the ceremony, and so it was accepted on his behalf by the host, Tony award-winning singer and actor Darren Criss. Ma won his first Grammy award in 1984 for his recordings of the Bach Cello Suites.
Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra also received the Grammy for Best Orchestral Performance for their recording of Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie, while US violinist Curtis Stewart was among the nominees for the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category for his album Coleridge Taylor: 3 Selections from ’24 Negro Melodies’ with the National Philharmonic and conductor Michael Repper.
A Grammy Award for the Best Contemporary Classical Composition was also awarded to Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz for her cello concerto Dzonot, premiered by US cellist Alisa Weilerstein.
No comments yet