FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –Six alumni from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music have been nominated for 2026 Grammy Awards. Several others, along with a faculty member, have contributed to Grammy-nominated recordings.
Audio engineering superstar Laura Sisk outdoes herself this year with five nominations for her work in the studio—on “Luther” by Kendrick Lamar with SZA and “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter, each competing for Record of the Year; Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend,” competing for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album; and Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX,” vying for Album of the Year.
Fellow alums Jozef Caldwell and Joey Miller join Sisk in engineering nominations for Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend” with Caldwell also up for Carpenter’s “Manchild” and Lamar’s “GNX.”
Now world-renowned, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton is nominated for her work on “Intelligence” by Jake Heggie, contending for Best Opera Recording, and internationally acclaimed pianist Adam Tendler vies for Best Classical Instrumental Solo with his “Inheritances” release.
Harpist Kirsten Agresta-Copely’s “Kuruvinda” challenges in the Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album category.
While not directly nominated, a number of Jacobs School alumni also participated on recordings that received nominations, including:
- Tim Smiley, mastering engineer, Mavis Staples’ “Beautiful Strangers” and “Goodspeed,” Best American Roots Performance and Best Americana Performance, respectively
- Alec Lubin, mix assistant, “Wicked,” Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media; “Wicked” and “How to Train Your Dragon,” Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
- Kellie McGrew, assistant engineer, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend,” Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX” and Justin Bieber’s “SWAG,” Album of the Year; Lamar’s “GNX,” Song of the Year
Trombone professor Denson Paul Pollard again performs as a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra on a Best Opera Recording contender: this year on “Grounded” by Jeanine Tesori.
The Recording Academy will present the 68th Grammy Awards live from Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 1, on CBS.
Offering more than 1,300 performances annually, including five operas, three ballets and a musical, the IU Jacobs School of Music plays a leading role in educating performers, scholars, composers, music educators and audio engineers around the globe. Its 175-plus full-time faculty members include performers, scholars and teachers of international renown.
