Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance

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Grammy Award for Best Small Ensemble Performance
Awarded for	quality performances by a small ensemble
Country	United States
Presented by	National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First awarded	1997
Currently held by	Pacifica Quartet, Contemporary Voices (2021)
Website	grammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best Small Ensemble Performance (from 2013: Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance) has been awarded since 1997. In its early years, its title included the addition "(with or without a conductor)".

In 1991 the Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance also included small ensemble performances.

2012 overhaul and 2013 renaming[]

In 2012 the category was combined with the Best Chamber Music Performance category.

The restructuring of these categories was a result of the Recording Academy's wish to decrease the list of categories and awards. According to the Academy, "the Chamber category was folded into the Small Ensemble category, the only distinction having been the number of players in the group (Chamber being smaller), and the fact that Small Ensemble recording could, though not necessarily, employ a conductor." ^[1] In the new structure, recordings are eligible if the ensemble contains 24 or fewer members, not including the conductor.

In 2013, the category was renamed as Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance.

The award goes to the winning ensemble and its conductor (if applicable). The producer(s) and engineer(s) also receive an award if they have worked on over 50% of playing time on the album.

Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year.

2020s[]

2022

• Winner TBA on 31 January 2022
• Nominees
  • JACK Quartet - John Luther Adams: Lines Made By Walking
  • Sandbox Percussion - Akiho: Seven Pillars
  • Sérgio Assad, Clarice Assad & Third Coast Percussion - Archetypes
  • Yo-Yo Ma & Emanuel Ax - Beethoven: Cello Sonatas - Hope and Tears
  • Imani Winds - Bruits

2021

• Pacifica Quartet - Contemporary Voices

Nominees

• Brooklyn Rider - Healing Modes
• Ted Hearne (conductor); Steven Bradshaw, Sophia Byrd, Josephine Lee, Isaiah Robinson, Sol Ruiz, Ayanna Woods & the Place Orchestra - Hearne: Place
• Devonté Hynes & Third Coast Percussion - Hynes: Fields
• Dover Quartet - The Schumann Quartets

2020

• Attacca Quartet - Shaw: Orange

Nominees

• Christopher Rountree & wild Up - Cerrone: The Pieces that Fall to Earth
• PUBLIQuartet - Freedom & Faith
• Third Coast Percussion - Perpetulum
• Hermitage Piano Trio - Rachmaninoff - Hermitage Piano Trio

2010s[]

2019

• Laurie Anderson & the Kronos Quartet for Landfall

Nominees:

• The Danish String Quartet for Beethoven, Shostakovich & Bach
• The Aizuri Quartet for Blueprinting
• Leif Ove Andsnes & Marc-André Hamelin for Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring Concerto for Two Pianos
• A Far Cry for Visions and Variations

2018

• Patricia Kopatchinskaja & the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra for Death & the Maiden

Nominees

• Arcangelo for Buxtehude: Trio Sonatas Op. 1
• Stile Antico for Divine Theatre - Sacred Motets by Giaches de Wert
• Joyce Yang & Augustin Hadelich for Franck, Kurtág, Previn & Schumann
• Martha Argerich & Various Artists for Martha Argerich & Friends - Live From Lugano 2016

Grammy Awards of 2017

• Third Coast Percussion for Steve Reich

Nominees

• ARC Ensemble for Fitelberg: Chamber Works
• Øyvind Gimse, Geir Inge Lotsberg & TrondheimSolistene for Reflections
• Spektral Quartet for Serious Business
• Lincoln Trio for Trios From our Homelands

Grammy Awards of 2016

• Eighth Blackbird for Filament

Nominees

• Tanja Tetzlaff, Christian Tetzlaff & Lars Vogt for Brahms: The Piano Trios
• Nadia Shpachenko & Genevieve Feiwen Lee for Flaherty: Airdancing For Toy Piano, Piano & Electronics
• Brad Wells & Roomful of Teeth for Render
• Takács Quartet & Marc-André Hamelin for Shostakovich: Piano Quintet & String Quartet No. 2

Grammy Awards of 2015

• Hilary Hahn & for In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encores

Nominees

• A Far Cry, David Krakauer (conductor) for Dreams & Prayers
• Steven Isserlis & Olli Mustonen for Martinu': Cello Sonatas Nos. 1-3
• Partch for Partch: Castor & Pollux
• New York Polyphony for Sing Thee Nowell

Grammy Awards of 2014

• & Roomful of Teeth for Roomful of Teeth

Nominees

• Leonidas Kavakos & Enrico Pace for Beethoven: Violin Sonatas
• , William Winant, & Tom Peters for Cage: The 10,000 Things
• Hélène Grimaud & Sol Gabetta for Duo
• New York Polyphony for Times Go By Turns

Grammy Awards of 2013 Eighth Blackbird for Meanwhile

Nominees

• for Americana
• Eighth Blackbird for Meanwhile
• for Mind Meld
• Boston Symphony Chamber Players for Profanes et Sacrées
• for Rupa-Khandha

Grammy Awards of 2012

• (librettist/performer) & Steven Mackey (composer/performer) and Eighth Blackbird for Lonely Motel - Music from Slide

Nominees

• Gabriela Frank (composer and performer) and for Frank: Hilos
• (conductor) and El Mundo for The Kingdoms of Castille
• (librettist/performer) & Steven Mackey (composer/performer) and Eighth Blackbird for Lonely Motel - Music from Slide
• Patrick Dupré Quigley (conductor) and Seraphic Fire for A Seraphic Fire Christmas
• for Sound The Bells!

Grammy Awards of 2011

• Hespèrion XXI & La Capella Reial de Catalunya (Jordi Savall, conductor) for Dinastia Borja

Grammy Awards of 2010

• Paul Hillier (conductor) and Ars Nova Copenhagen & for Lang, David: The Little Match Girl Passion

2000s[]

Grammy Awards of 2009

• Charles Bruffy (conductor) and Phoenix Chorale for Spotless Rose: Hymns To The Virgin Mary

Grammy Awards of 2008

• Yuri Bashmet (conductor) and for Stravinsky: Apollo, Concerto In D; Prokofiev: 20 Visions Fugitives

Grammy Awards of 2007

• (conductor) and for Padilla: Sun Of Justice

Grammy Awards of 2006

• Pierre Boulez (conductor), Hilary Summers (performer), and Ensemble Intercontemporain for

Grammy Awards of 2005

• Jeff von der Schmidt (conductor) and Southwest Chamber Music for Chávez - Complete Chamber Music, Vol. 2

Grammy Awards of 2004

• Jeff von der Schmidt (conductor) and Southwest Chamber Music for "Chávez: Suite for Double Quartet"

Grammy Awards of 2003

• Steve Barnett (producer), Preston Smith (engineer), Joseph Jennings (conductor), Chanticleer & Handel & Haydn Society of Boston for Tavener: Lamentations and Praises

Grammy Awards of 2002

• (producer), Philipp Nedel (engineer), Gidon Kremer (producer & artist) and Kremerata Baltica for After Mozart

Grammy Awards of 2001

• (producer), Wolf-Dieter Karwatky (engineer) and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra for Shadow Dances (Stravinsky Miniatures - Tango; Suite No. 1; Octet, etc.)

Grammy Awards of 2000

• Joseph Jennings (conductor) and Chanticleer for Colors of Love - Works of Thomas, Stucky, Tavener & Rands

1990s[]

Grammy Awards of 1999

• Steve Reich (conductor) for Reich: Music for 18 Musicians performed by Steve Reich and Musicians

Grammy Awards of 1998

• Claudio Abbado (conductor) for "Hindemith: Kammermusik No. 1 With Finale 1921, Op. 24, No. 1" performed by members of the Berliner Philharmonic

Grammy Awards of 1997

• Pierre Boulez (conductor) and the Ensemble Inter-Contemporain for Boulez: ...Explosante-Fixe...

References[]