Koerner Hall Artists Win 11 Grammy Awards

Published on February 11, 2019

Eleven Koerner Hall artists won prizes at the 2019 Grammy Awards, broadcast from Los Angeles on February 10. The list of winners – which appears in full below – represents some of the world's leading artists and a wide range of musical genres.  

The biggest winner of the night was singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, who brought home three awards for the music on her acclaimed sixth album, By the Way, I Forgive You. The acclaimed artist, who loved performing in Koerner Hall so much that she wanted to pack it into her trailer, was the most-nominated female musician this year.

Violin virtuoso James Ehnes, a frequent Koerner Hall performer and master class artist, won a Grammy for his performance of a violin concerto by Aaron Jay Kernis that was composed especially for him. Ehnes shared a second prize with Kernis when the concerto was named best contemporary classical composition.  

Also among the classical winners was internationally acclaimed ensemble Kronos Quartet, a frequent contributor to the 21C Music Festival, The Royal Conservatory’s acclaimed festival of newly minted music. The quartet shared the prize with Laurie Anderson for its work on her composition Landfall.  

Jazz artists fared especially well at the prestigious ceremony, winning more than half of the prizes given out to Koerner Hall performers. Drummer Brian Blade and pianist Danilo Pérez, whose next performances in Koerner Hall were announced in January, earned awards for the work with the Wayne Shorter Quartet. Other recipients include trumpeter Terence Blanchard, vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, bandleader Dafnis Prieto, and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra.  

2019 Grammy Award Winners: Koerner Hall Artists 

Terence Blanchard
Best Instrumental Composition 

Brandi Carlile
Best American Roots Performance 
Best American Roots Song 
Best Americana Album 

James Ehnes
Best Classical Instrumental Solo 

Kronos Quartet
Best Chamber Music / Small Ensemble Performance (with Laurie Anderson) 

Cécile McLorin Salvant
Best Jazz Vocal Album 

Dafnis Prieto
Best Latin Jazz Album 

Spanish Harlem Orchestra
Best Tropical Latin Album 

Wayne Shorter Quartet
Best Jazz Instrumental Album 

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