Nov. 7, 2025 — The nominations for the 2026 classical Grammy Awards were announced this morning. In the classical categories for orchestra, small ensemble, solo instrumentalist and opera, six Canadians have been nominated.
Mary Dawood Catlin – Best Classical Instrumental Solo
Pianist-composer Mary Dawood Catlin is nominated for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for Hope Orchestrated, a deeply personal work about loss and renewal. This record also features the Venezuela Strings Recording Ensemble, conducted by Raniero Palm and Jesús David Medina.
Emily D’Angelo – Best Opera Recording
Mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo sings former fighter pilot Jess in the Grammy-nominated recording of Jeanine Tesori’s opera Grounded. Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra on a recording produced by David Frost. Additional soloists include Ben Bliss, Greer Grimsley, and Kyle Miller.
Lili Haydn – Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
Violinist-composer Lili Haydn and pianist-composer Paul Cantelon received a nomination for their album Lullabies for the Brokenhearted, a work about loss and the redemptive power of music.
Miriam Khalil – Best Opera Recording
Soprano Miriam Khalil is a featured soloist on the Grammy-nominated Adoration, an album adapted from the original film written and directed by Atom Egoyan. The recording also features conductor Alan Pierson; soloists Marc Kudisch, David Adam Moore, Omar Najmi, Naomi Louisa O’Connell, Karim Sulayman; producer Mary Kouyoumdjian; the Silvana Quartet and the Choir of Trinity Wall Street.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin – Best Opera Recording & Best Orchestral Performance
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin directs the Metropolitan Opera recording of Tesori’s Grounded, which is nominated for Best Opera Recording. Nézet-Séguin is also nominated for Best Orchestra Performance with The Philadelphia Orchestra for their digital release Still & Bonds, which features works by William Grant Still and Margaret Bonds.
Kwamé Ryan – Best Opera Recording & Producer of the Year, Classical
Conductor Kwamé Ryan leads Houston Grand Opera’s recording of Jake Heggie’s opera, Intelligence, nominated for two classical Grammy Awards. Featured soloists on this double album produced by Blanton Alspaugh include Jamie Barton, J’Nai Bridges, and Janai Brugger.
To read the full list of nominations for the 95 Grammy categories, www.grammy.com
To read the list of nominations for the classical Grammy Awards, https://symphony.org/2026-classical-grammy-nominations-announced/
