Berklee Alumni and Faculty Win at the 2024 Grammy Awards

Berklee alumni and faculty won gold-plated gramophones at the 66th annual Grammy Awards, held last night on Sunday, February 4, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

For the second consecutive year, Molly Tuttle A.D. ’14 and her band Golden Highway won for Best Bluegrass Album with City of Gold. In addition to Tuttle, the band is composed of alumni Bronwyn Keith-Hynes ’12, Dominick Leslie ’10, and Kyle Tuttle ’11. The group took home the same award at the 2023 Grammys for its breakout album Crooked Tree.

Singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Laufey B.M. ’21 won her first Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for the critically acclaimed album Bewitched, joined by alumni and album contributors Spencer Stewart B.M. ’13, Simon Moullier B.M. ’16, Jordan Rose B.M. ’12, and Thorleifur Gaukur Davidsson B.M. ’19. Pianist and Berklee faculty member Luis Perdomo and saxophonist, composer, and producer Miguel Zenón B.M. ’98 took home the Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album for their work on El Arte Del Bolero Vol. 2. The win is the first for Zenón, who has been nominated for a Grammy 12 times and is currently the Ken Pullig Visiting Scholar at Berklee for the 2023–24 academic year. In her Grammy debut, film composer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Carla Patullo B.M. ’01, M.M. ’13 won Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album for So She Howls, a deeply personal work that chronicles her experience with a life-threatening illness. Gracie Laboy M.M. ’18 and Norvin Tu-Wang ’16 also received awards for their work on the album.

Watch Carla Patullo's acceptance speech after winning the Grammy for Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album:

Brian Rajaratnam B.M. ’17, won in the Record of the Year category for his work as an engineer and mixer on Miley Cyrus’s “Flowers,” and was also nominated in the Album of the Year category for Cyrus’s Endless Summer Vacation. Jonathan Garcia B.M. ’19 and Ken Lewis B.M. ’91 received Grammys in the Album of the Year category for their work as engineers and mixers on Taylor Swift’s Midnights. Two-time Tony Award–winner Charlie Rosen B.M. ’12 won a Grammy in the Best Musical Theater Album category for Some Like It Hot, along with Oscar Zambrano B.M. ’03, who won for mastering the album.

Neal Smith, an associate professor in Berklee’s Percussion Department and the Institute for Jazz and Gender Justice, won his first Grammy in Best Classical Compendium for his contributions to Passion for Bach and Coltrane.

Other alumni who contributed to Grammy-winning projects include Jett Galindo B.M. ’12, who served as mastering engineer on X Mí (Vol. 1) by Gaby Moreno, which won for Best Latin Pop Album; Vago Galindo B.M. ’14, Tommy Torres B.M. ’93, Rafael Restrepo B.M. ’11, and Juan Luis Guerra B.M. ’82, '09H, who contributed to Juanes's Vida Cotidiana, which won for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album; Olmo Zucca B.M. ’20, who was the producer and writer of the song “Water” by Tyla, winner of Best African Music Performance; and Erin Bentlage B.M. ’14, who won in the category of Best Arrangement Instrumentals and Vocals for “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” by säje and featuring Jacob Collier.

Berklee's list of official alumni and faculty Grammy winners is below. This list is subject to change as winners are verified with the Recording Academy. 

Record of the Year

• “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus
  • Brian Rajaratnam B.M. ’17, engineer/mixer

Album of the Year

• Midnights, Taylor Swift
  • Jonathan Garcia B.M. ’19, assistant engineer
  • Ken Lewis B.M. ’91, engineer/mixer

Best Latin Jazz Album

• El Arte Del Bolero Vol. 2, Miguel Zenón & Luis Perdomo
  • Miguel Zenón B.M. ’98
  • Luis Perdomo (faculty)

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album  

• Bewitched, Laufey
  • Laufey B.M. ’21

Best Musical Theater Album

• Some Like It Hot
  • Charlie Rosen B.M. ’12, orchestrator
  • Oscar Zambrano B.M. ’03, mastering engineer

Best Bluegrass Album

• City of Gold, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
  • Molly Tuttle A.D. ’14
  • Bronwyn Keith-Hynes ’12, fiddle
  • Dominick Leslie ’10, mandolin
  • Kyle Tuttle ’11, banjo

Best Latin Pop Album

• X Mí (Vol. 1), Gaby Moreno
  • Jett Galindo B.M. ’12, mastering engineer

Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album

• Vida Cotidiana, Juanes
  • Vago Galindo B.M. ’14, mix engineer
  • Tommy Torres B.M. ’93, composer
  • Rafael Restrepo B.M. ’11, management
  • Juan Luis Guerra B.M. ’82, '09H, composer

Best African Music Performance

• “Water,” Tyla
  • Olmo Zucca B.M. ’20, producer and writer

Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album

• So She Howls, Carla Patullo
  • Carla Patullo B.M. ‘01, M.M. ’13
  • Gracie Laboy M.M. ’18, soprano in "Tonality"
  • Norvin Tu-Wang ’16, engineer

Best Arrangement Instruments and Vocals

• “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,” säje featuring Jacob Collier
  • Erin Bentlage B.M. ’14, arranger

Best Classical Compendium

• Passion for Bach and Coltrane, Alex Brown, Harlem Quartet, Imani Winds, Edward Perez, Neal Smith, and A.B. Spellman
  • Neal Smith (faculty), percussion