Berklee's 2026 Alumni Grammy Nominees: See the Full List

The Recording Academy revealed its 2026 Grammy nominations today, and Berklee talent was once again recognized across the musical map, from pop, country, roots, and metal to Broadway soundtracks and video game scores. Whether behind the board, onstage, or in the writing room, Berklee alumni—who have collectively won more than 300 Grammys—played key roles in projects that helped shape the sound and direction of music in 2025. A list of alumni and faculty who received nominations or contributed to Grammy-nominated projects this year can be found below. 

The 68th Grammy Awards takes place at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 1, 2026, airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ at 8:00 p.m. ET.

This list is subject to change as we receive new information. If you or another member the Berklee community received a Grammy nomination or contributed to a nominated project, let us know.

Album of the Year

Man's Best Friend, Sabrina Carpenter

• Amy Allen ’15, songwriter 
• John Ryan BM ’10, producer, engineer/mixer, songwriter

Song of the Year

“APT.,” ROSÉ and Bruno Mars 

• Amy Allen ’15, songwriter

“Manchild,” Sabrina Carpenter

• Amy Allen ’15, songwriter

Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical

Amy Allen ’15

• “APT.” (ROSÉ and Bruno Mars) 
• “Bad as the Rest” (Jessie Murph) 
• “Hail Mary” (Shaboozey, Sierra Ferrell) 
• “Handlebars” (JENNIE feat. Dua Lipa) 
• “Just Keep Watching” (Tate McRae) 
• “Lost in Translation” (Carín León and Kasey Musgraves) 
• “Manchild” (Sabrina Carpenter) 
• “Tears” (Sabrina Carpenter) 
• “WHY” (Jon Bellion feat. Luke Combs)

Best Dance/Electronica Album

Inhale / Exhale, Rüfüs Du Sol

• Pedro Laet BM ’21, engineer

Best Metal Performance

“Night Terror,” Dream Theater

• John Petrucci ’86, guitar 
• John Myung ’86, bass
• Mike Portnoy ’86, drums

Best Traditional R&B Performance

“UPTOWN,” Lalah Hathaway ’94

Best Rap Performance

"Darling, I,” Tyler, the Creator feat. Teezo Touchdown

• Andrew Keller BM ’14, recording engineer 

Best Melodic Rap Performance

“Proud of Me,” Fridayy feat. Meek Mill

• Christian Mombru BM ’17, co-mixer

Best Jazz Performance

“Noble Rise,” Lakecia Benjamin 

• Mark Whitfield ’87, guitar
• Alex Conroy BM ’14, tracking engineer

“All Stars Lead to You (Live),” Nicole Zuraitis

• Dan Pugach BM ’08, drums

Best Jazz Vocal Album

Elemental, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap

• Jett Galindo BM ’12, mastering engineer 

We Insist 2025!, Terri Lyne Carrington and Christie Dashiell

• Terri Lyne Carrigton BM ’83, drums

Live at Vic's Las Vegas, Nicole Zuraitis

• Dan Pugach BM ’08, drums

Best Jazz Instrumental Album

Belonging, Branford Marsalis Quartet

• Branford Marsalis ’81

Spirit Fall, John Patitucci

• John Patitucci, bass (faculty)

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

Orchestrator Emulator, The 8-Bit Big Band

• Charlie Rosen ’12, bandleader, producer, arranger

Lumen, Danilo Pérez and Bohuslän Big Band

• Danilo Pérez ’88

Best Latin Jazz Album

The Original Influencers: Dizzy, Chano & Chico (Live at Town Hall), Arturo O’Farill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra

• Donald Harrison ’81, saxophone

Mundoagua: Celebrating Carla Bley, Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra

• Akihiro Nishimura BM ’05, recording engineer

A Tribute to Benny Moré and Nat King Cole, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Yainer Horta, and Joey Calveiro

• Yainer Horta ’02, saxophone

Vanguardia Subterránea: Live at the Village Vanguard, Miguel Zenón Quartet

• Miguel Zenón BM ’98

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

A Matter of Time, Laufey

• Laufey BM ’21, artist 
• Jannick Frampton BM ’21, assistant mix engineer

The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume 2, Barbra Streisand

• Kristina Fisk BM ’23, engineering 

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Brightside, Arkai

• Donald Philp PD ’21, producer

BEATrio, Antonio Sánchez, Béla Fleck, and Edmar Castañeda

• Antonio Sánchez ’97, drums

Just Us, Bob James and Dave Koz

• Bob James ’58

Best Musical Theater Album

Death Becomes Her

• Jennifer Simard BFA ’92 (Boston Conservatory), ​​principal vocalist
• Ian Kagey BM ’07, engineer
• Oscar Zambrano BM ’03, mastering engineer
• Cameron Moncur PD ’14, associate conductor, keyboardist
• Nick Auer BM ’14, GPD ’16 (Boston Conservatory), French horn
• Sir Brock Warren BFA ’08 (Boston Conservatory), ensemble
• Bud Weber BFA ’09 (Boston Conservatory), ensemble

Gypsy

• Ian Kagey BM ’07, engineer
• Omisha Chaitanya BM ’22, assistant engineer 
• Zachary Zinger BM ’11, reeds
• Emily Pecoraro MM ’14 (Boston Conservatory), reeds
• Brandon Ilaw BM ’14 (Boston Conservatory), percussion
• Zach Jones BFA ’16 (Boston Conservatory), cast
• Brendan Sheehan BFA ’24 (Boston Conservatory), cast

Just in Time

• Hiro Iida PD ’89, electronic music design

Maybe Happy Ending

• Ian Kagey BM ’07, producer
• Omisha Chaitanya BM ’22, assistant engineer

Best Country Song

“Good News,” Shaboozey

• Jacob Torrey ’16, songwriter

Best Americana Performance

“Boom,” Sierra Hull AD ’11

“That's Gonna Leave a Mark,” Molly Tuttle AD ’14

Best American Roots Song

“Spitfire,” Sierra Hull AD ’11

Best Americana Album

So Long Little Miss Sunshine, Molly Tuttle AD ’14

Best Bluegrass Album

A Tip Toe High Wire, Sierra Hull AD ’11

Best Contemporary Blues Album

Preacher Kids, Robert Randolph

• David Spreng PD ’97, mixer

Best Folk Album

Crown of Roses, Patty Griffin

• Bukka Allen BM ’12, organ

Best Gospel Performance/Song

“Church,” Tasha Cobbs Leonard and John Legend

• Anthony S. Brown ’19, songwriter 
• Justin Raines ’06, bass

“Still (Live),” Jonathan McReynolds and Jamal Roberts

• Orlando Joel Palmer ’12, songwriter, composer

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song

“Your Way’s Better,” Forrest Frank

• Petar Pera Krstajic BM ’18, songwriter, programmer, producer, mixing engineer
• Roy Bourkis PD ’16, mastering engineer, mixing engineer
• Amanda Bradshaw ’00, choir 
• Grace Pehrman BM ’22, choir

Best Gospel Album

Sunny Days, Yolanda Adams

• Richard Furch BM ’99, mixing engineer

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album

Child of God II, Forrest Frank

• Petar Pera Krstajic BM ’18, songwriter, programmer, producer
• Roy Bourkis PD ’16, mastering engineer, mixing engineer
• Noah Conrad ’16, producer
• Amanda Bradshaw ’20, vocalist
• Tyler Christian BM ’23, vocalist
• Ilija Mihailovic BM ’22, vocalist
• Grace Pehrman BM ’23, vocalist

Coritos Vol. 1, Israel & New Breed

• Kevin Camp ’07, producer

Best Roots Gospel Album

I Will Not Be Moved (Live), Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

• Akihiro Nishimura BM ’05, recording engineer
• Matthew Soares, recording engineer (Berklee NYC staff)

Good Answers, Karen Peck & New River

• Jonathan Crone BM ’04, electric guitar

Best Latin Pop Album

¿Y ahora qué?, Alejandro Sanz

• Lewis Pickett BM ’09, album mixer

Best Global Music Performance

Inmigrante Y Que?, Yeisy Rojas

• Akihiro Nishimura BM ’05, recording engineer
• Eleazar Mora MA ’23, choir 

Best Global Music Album

Sounds of Kumbha, Siddhant Bhatia

• Aashna Jain (Siroyi) BM ’23, vocalist

Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album

According to the Moon, Cheryl B. Engelhardt, GEM, Dallas String Quartet

• Jett Galindo BM ’12, mastering engineer

Into the Forest, Jahnavi Harrison

• Ryan Renteria BM ’12, MM ’14, mixing engineer

Nomadica, Carla Patullo 

• Carla Patullo BM ’01, MM ’13, artist 

Best Children’s Music Album

Herstory, Flor Bromley

• Jett Galindo BM ’12, mastering engineer

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media

A Complete Unknown

• Nick Baxter BM ’07, producer, mixing, engineer, guitar 
• Phil Levine PD ’16, Dolby Atmos mix engineer

Wicked

• Stephen Oremus BM ’92, producer, arranger, conductor
• Ian Kagey BM ’07, choir recording engineer
• Omisha Chaitanya BM ’22, assistant engineer

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Includes Film and Television)

How to Train Your Dragon

• Batu Sener BM ’12, additional music  

Sinners

• Gernot Wolfgang PD ’89, orchestrator
• Jakov Naumoski BM ’24, score mix technician 
• Greg Jamrok ’89, music preparation
• Felipe Pacheco BM ’15, music editor

Wicked

• Batu Sener BM ’12, additional music 

The Wild Robot

• Greg Jamrok  ’89, orchestrator
• Jared Smith MM ’21, composer assistant

Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora—Secrets of the Spires

• Pinar Toprak BM ’00, composer
• Jett Galindo BM ’12, mastering engineer
• David Federman MM ’14, music preparation, orchestrator
• Emir Isilay BM ’02, additional music
• Zuzana Michlerova MM ’15, orchestrator
• Shie Rozow BM ’97, music editor, score producer
• Ece Muniroglu BM ’16, scoring assistant
• Alvin Wee BM ’13, recording engineer
• Myra Choo BM ’23, assistant engineer
• Sam Woo Seok Choi BM ’23, assistant engineer

Best Music Film

Piece By Piece, Pharrell Williams

• Jordan Felisbret BM ’17, vocals

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women), Japanese Breakfast

• Sebastian Reunert BM ’13, engineer

Arcadia, Alison Krauss & Union Station

• Gavin Lurssen BM ’90, engineer

Best Engineered Album, Classical

Standard Stoppages, Third Coast Percussion

• Joe Lambert ’04, mastering engineer

Best Instrumental Composition

“Lord, That's a Long Way,” Sierra Hull AD ’11

“Opening,” Zain Effendi ’06

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella

"Be Okay," Cynthia Erivo

• Will Wells BM '11, composer, engineer, vocal producer, executive producer
• Myra Choo BM ’23, engineer

“Super Mario Praise Brea,” The 8-Bit Big Band

• Charlie Rosen ’12, arranger

Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals

“Big Fish,” Nate Smith

• Erin Bentlage BM ’14, arranger

Best Choral Performance

"Requiem of Light," Brian Giebler and the Clarion Choir

• Esin Aydingoz BM ’17, vocalist
• Oscar Zambrano BM ’03, mastering engineer