Berklee Alumni and Faculty Nominated for 2022 Latin Grammy Awards

Thirteen Berklee alumni and two faculty members have received Latin Grammy nominations for performing, songwriting, production, engineering, and mixing across several categories, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, and Best Engineered Album.

The Latin Recording Academy will honor the achievements of Latin music and its creators at the 23rd annual Latin Grammy Awards on Thursday, November 17, at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Univision will broadcast the ceremony live beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Renowned Dominican artist Juan Luis Guerra ’82, who studied jazz composition at Berklee, is up for two awards: Record of the Year, for his song “Vale la Pena,” and Best Merengue/Bachata Album, for his 2022 release Entre Mar y Palmeras. Javier Limón, a 10-time Latin Grammy winner and artistic director of Berklee’s Mediterranean Music Institute, is one of the producers and songwriters on Alejandro Sanz’s 2021 album, Sanz, which is up for Album of the Year. Peruvian singer-songwriter Nicole Zignago ’19 was nominated for Best New Artist, and Lewis Pickett B.M. ’09 was nominated for Best Engineered Album and Album of the Year for his work on Elsa y Elmar’s Ya No Somos Los Mismos.

Berta Rojas, an associate professor in Berklee's Guitar Department, received two nominations: Best Classical Album, for her 2022 release, Legado, and Best Classical Contemporary Composition, for the song "Anido's Portrait: I. Chacarera."

Since the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences founded the Latin Grammys in 2000, 48 Berklee alumni have received 114 awards.

Below is a full list of Berklee alumni and faculty Latin Grammy nominees. Please note the list is subject to change as we receive updated information. 

Record of the Year

• “Vale la Pena” – Juan Luis Guerra
  • Juan Luis Guerra ’82, record producer

Album of the Year

• Ya No Somos Los Mismos – Elsa y Elmar
  • Elsa Carvajal B.M. ’14, album producer, songwriter
  • Lewis Pickett B.M. ’09, album mixer
  • Alberto Hernández B.M. ’13, album recording engineer
  • Felipe Mejía ’14, album recording engineer
• Sanz – Alejandro Sanz
  • Javier Limón, album producer, songwriter

Best New Artist

• Nicole Zignago ’19

Best Pop Vocal Album

• Ya No Somos Los Mismos – Elsa y Elmar
  • Elsa Carvajal B.M. ’14, artist

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

• Filarmónico 20 Años – Marta Gómez
  • Marta Gómez B.M. ’02, artist

Best Pop/Rock Song

• "Qué Voy a Hacer Conmigo???" – Elsa y Elmar 
  • Elsa Carvajal B.M. ’14, songwriter

Best Merengue/Bachata Album

• Entre Mar y Palmeras – Juan Luis Guerra
  • Juan Luis Guerra ’82, artist

Best Folk Album

• La Tierra Llora – Paulina Aguirre
  • Paulina Aguirre B.M. ’21, artist
• Flor y Raíz – Pedro Aznar
  • Pedro Aznar ’82, artist

Best Latin Children’s Album

• Danilo & Chapis, Vol. 2 – Danilo & Chapis
  • Christina Abaroa ’91

Best Classical Album

• Legado – Berta Rojas
  • Berta Rojas, artist

Best Classical Contemporary Composition

• "Anido's Portrait: I. Chacarera" – Berta Rojas
  • Sergio Assad, composer (Berta Rojas)

Best Arrangement

• “Adoro” – Alondra de la Parra and Buika
  • Marco Godoy B.M. ’06, arranger
• “Cucurrucucú Paloma" – Alondra de la Parra and Pitingo
  • Paul Rubinstein B.M. ’06, arranger

Best Recording Package

• Bailaora (Mis Pies Son Mi Voz) – Siudy Garrido
  • Adolfo Herrera ’03, art director

Best Engineered Album

• Ya No Somos Los Mismos – Elsa y Elmar
  • Lewis Pickett B.M. ’09, mixer