Yannick Nézet-Séguin, boygenius, and Tye Tribbett are Philly-connected Grammy winners
The Philadelphia Orchestra music and artistic director won for conducting Terence Blanchard's opera 'Champion' and boygenius took home two rock awards.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, indie band boygenius, and gospel bandleader Tye Tribbett were among the Philadelphia and Philly-connected acts who won Grammys on Sunday in Los Angeles in a ceremony that was streamed on YouTube and grammy.com before the network TV telecast.
Terence Blanchard’s Champion, conducted by Philadelphia Orchestra music and artistic director Nézet-Séguin, won in the “best opera recording” category, in which the award goes to the composer and librettist, conductor, producers, and principal soloists.
“It takes more than a village in opera,” said Nézet-Séguin, who attended the ceremony recognizing the recording with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, and which also featured Philadelphia bass-baritone Eric Owens.
“But this goes to Terence Blanchard and all the voices of our time, the great musicians that we keep honoring and are now getting their right place that they deserve to be in our big stages,” said Nézet-Séguin.
“And can I still also dedicate this to my own husband, Pierre [Tourville]. I wish everyone to have a husband or a wife like this in their lives. Pierre this is for you, and this is for you, Terence.”
Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra were also nominated in the orchestral performance category but lost out to Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
The big rock winners were boygenius — the trio of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, the latter of whom lived in Philadelphia from 2019 through last year.
The indie trio took home trophies for rock performance and rock song for “Not Strong Enough,” beating out the Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters and Metallica, among others. They also won best alternative music album, for The Record. Bridgers won a fourth Grammy for pop duo/group performance with SZA for “Ghost In The Machine.”
“All I ever wanted to do was be in a band since I was a kid,” Baker said in accepting the rock song award. “I want to thank these guys for touring in a van — and a Prius.”
Tribbett, the Camden-born and Orlando, Fla.-based gospel bandleader won for best gospel album for All Things New: Live In Orlando. “We all have a gift to spread love and to bring joy and we need it now more than ever before,” Tribbett said in accepting his award. “So use your God-given gift to bless somebody. God bless, y’all!”
Imani Winds, the quintet in residence at the Curtis Institute of Music, won in the classical compendium category for Passion for Bach and Coltrane with the Harlem Quartet.
Two Philly rappers were nominated for Grammys: Black Thought of the Roots for rap performance, and Lil Uzi Vert for rap song. Both lost out to Atlanta rapper Killer Mike, who swept the rap categories with his song “Scientist & Engineers” and album Michael.
Philly bassist and bandleader Adam Blackstone lost out in the two jazz categories, but as he led a jam session on the awards show that featured luminaries Bob James, Robert Glasper, and Terrace Martin, he told the audience he was representing “Jersey and Philly to the fullest.”
Philly visual artist Perry Shall, who was nominated for his design of The Arcs’ Electrophonic Chronic in the recording package category, lost out to Luke Brooks and James Theseus Buck for Dry Cleaning’s Stumpwork.
University of Pennsylvania graduate and It Came From Memphis author Robert Gordon won an award for liner notes with Deanie Parker, for Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos, and another with Parker and others for best historical album for the same project.