Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition
Awarded for Quality contemporary classical music compositions
Country United States
Presented by National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First award 1961
Currently held by Gabriela Ortiz (Revolución Diamantina) (2025)
Website grammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards,[1] to composers for quality works of contemporary classical music. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".[2]

The award was first presented in 1961 to Aaron Copland for his Orchestral Suite from The Tender Land Suite. It was not presented from 1967 to 1984. The Grammy is awarded to the composer(s) and the librettist (if applicable) of a classical piece composed in the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the eligibility year. The performing artist, orchestra, ensemble, etc., do not receive a Grammy (except if the performer is also the composer). Since its inception, the award has had several minor name changes.[a]

Composers John Adams, Samuel Barber, John Corigliano and Jennifer Higdon are tied for the most wins in this category, with three each. Multiple composers have won twice: Michael Daugherty, Krzysztof Penderecki, Christopher Rouse and Igor Stravinsky. In one year, 1962, the award was given to two composers, Laurindo Almeida and Stravinsky.

Recipients

Aaron Copland was the first recipient of the award.
The composer Igor Stravinsky won in 1962 and 1963.
Three-time winner Samuel Barber (photograph by Carl Van Vechten).
The composer Krzysztof Penderecki, the winner in 1988 and 1999.
Three-time winner John Adams.
2004 winner Dominick Argento.
2014 winner Maria Schneider.
The composer Michael Daugherty who won in 2011 and 2017.
2022 winner, Caroline Shaw
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition[3]
Year Composer Work Nominees
1961[4] Aaron Copland Orchestral Suite from The Tender Land Suite
  • Easley Blackwood Jr. – Symphony No. 1
  • Paul Hindemith – Sonata For Cello And Piano
  • Charles Ives – Symphony No. 2
  • Francis Poulenc – La voix humaine
  • Roger Sessions – Symphony No. 1
  • Igor Stravinsky – Threni
  • Edgard Varèse – Density 21.5
1962[5] Laurindo Almeida Discantus
  • Francis Poulenc – Gloria In G Major
  • Elliott Carter – String Quartet No. 2
  • Gunther Schuller – Music For Brass Quintet
Igor Stravinsky Movements for Piano and Orchestra
1963[6] Igor Stravinsky The Flood: A Musical Play
  • Edgard Varèse – Arcana
  • Aaron Copland – Connotations
  • Benjamin Britten – Noye's Fludde
  • Lukas Foss – Song Of Songs
  • William Walton – Symphony No. 2
  • Lukas Foss – Time Cycle
1964[7] Benjamin Britten War Requiem
  • Samuel Barber – Andromache's Farewell
  • John La Montaine – Concerto For Piano
  • Heitor Villa-Lobos – Cello Concerto No. 2
  • Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphony No. 4
  • William Schuman – Symphony No. 8
1965[8] Samuel Barber Piano Concerto
  • Darius Milhaud – A Frenchman In New York
  • Charles Ives – A Symphony: New England Holidays
  • Igor Stravinsky – A Sermon, a Narrative and a Prayer
  • Leonard Bernstein – Symphony No. 3 "Kaddish"
1966[9] Charles Ives Symphony No. 4
  • Leonard Bernstein – Chichester Psalms
  • Benjamin Britten – Cantata misericordium
  • David Diamond – String Quartet No. 4
  • Morton Gould – World War I Suite
  • William Walton – Variations on a Theme by Hindemith
Award not presented from 1967 to 1984
1985 Samuel Barber Antony and Cleopatra
  • Morton Gould – Apple Waltzes
  • Joseph Schwantner – Magabunda "Four poems of Agueda Pizarro"
  • Frank Zappa – "The Perfect Stranger"
  • Vincent Persichetti – Winter Cantata
1986 Andrew Lloyd Webber Requiem
  • John Adams – Harmonium
  • Philip Glass – Satyagraha
  • George Perle – Serenade No. 3 For Piano And Chamber Orchestra
  • Robert Starer – Violin Concerto
1987 Witold Lutosławski Symphony No. 3
  • Robert Beaser – Mountain Songs: A Cycle Of American Folk Music
  • Chick Corea – Septet
  • Philip Glass – String Quartet No. 2, Company
  • Ellen Taaffe Zwilich – Symphony No. 1
1988 Krzysztof Penderecki Cello Concerto No. 2
  • John Adams – The Chairman Dances
  • Milton Babbitt – Piano Concerto
  • Joseph Schwantner – A Sudden Rainbow
  • Roger Sessions – Symphony No. 5
  • Michael Tippett – The Mask Of Time
1989 John Adams Nixon in China
  • Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Wadsworth – A Quiet Place
  • William Bolcom – Symphony No. 4
  • Ned Rorem – String Symphony
  • Karlheinz Stockhausen – Amour
1990 Steve Reich Different Trains
  • Sofia Gubaidulina – Offertorium
  • Witold Lutosławski – Chain 2
  • Witold Lutosławski – Partita
  • Arvo Pärt – Passio
1991 Leonard Bernstein Arias and Barcarolles
  • John Adams – The Wound-Dresser
  • Henri Lazarof – Tableaux (After Kandinsky) For Piano And Orchestra
  • Terry Riley – Salome Dances For Peace
  • Ellen Taaffe Zwilich – Symphony No. 2
1992 John Corigliano Symphony No. 1
  • Elliott Carter – Oboe Concerto
  • Nicholas Maw – Odyssey
  • Arvo Pärt – Miserere
  • Dominick Argento – Te Deum
1993 Samuel Barber The Lovers
  • Anthony Davis – X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X
  • Witold Lutosławski – Piano Concerto
  • John Tavener – The Protecting Veil
  • Ellen Taaffe Zwilich – Flute Concerto
1994 Elliott Carter Violin Concerto
  • Donald Erb – Cello Concerto
  • Tōru Takemitsu – A Way A Lone
  • Michael Tippett – Byzantium
  • William Bolcom – Orphee-Serenade
1995 Stephen Albert Cello Concerto
  • György Ligeti – Piano Concerto
  • Witold Lutosławski – Symphony No. 4
  • Olivier Messiaen – Éclairs sur l'au-delà...
  • Tōru Takemitsu – Fantasma/Cantos
1996 Olivier Messiaen Concert à quatre
  • Gunther Schuller – Of Reminiscences and Reflections
  • Ellen Taaffe Zwilich – Symphony No. 3
  • John Adams – Chamber Symphony
  • György Ligeti – Violin Concerto
1997 John Corigliano String Quartet No. 1
  • John Adams – Violin Concerto
  • Colin Matthews – Fourth Sonata
  • Einojuhani Rautavaara – Symphony No. 7: "Angel of Light"
  • Gunther Schuller – Four Soundscapes
1998[10] John Adams El Dorado
  • Lowell Liebermann – Concerto No. 2 For Piano And Orchestra
  • Per Nørgård – Symphony No. 5
  • Richard Danielpour – Concerto For Orchestra
  • Aaron Jay Kernis – Second Symphony
1999[11] Krzysztof Penderecki Violin Concerto No. 2 "Metamorphosen"
  • John Adams – Gnarly Buttons
  • Elliott Carter – 90+
  • Arvo Pärt – Kanon Pokajanen
  • George Tsontakis – Ghost Variations
2000[12] Pierre Boulez Répons
  • Aaron Jay Kernis – Air For Violin
  • John Tavener – Eternity's Sunrise
  • Thomas Adès – Asyla
  • Andrew Imbrie – Requiem
2001[13] George Crumb Star-Child
  • Heiner Goebbels – Surrogate Cities
  • Nicholas Maw – Violin Concerto
  • Ned Rorem – Evidence Of Things Not Seen
  • Rodion Shchedrin – Concerto Cantabile
2002[14] Christopher Rouse Concert de Gaudí
  • Poul Ruders – The Handmaid's Tale
  • John Tavener – Total Eclipse
  • Pierre Boulez – Sur Incises
2003[15] John Tavener Lamentations & Praises
  • John Adams – Naïve and Sentimental Music
  • Osvaldo Golijov – Yiddishbbuk Inscriptions For String Quartet
  • Sofia Gubaidulina – Johannes-Passion
  • Arvo Pärt – Orient & Occident
2004[16] Dominick Argento Casa Guidi
  • George Rochberg – Symphony No. 5
  • José Serebrier – Symphony No. 3
  • György Kurtág – Signs, Games And Messages
  • Benjamin Lees – Symphony No. 5 "Kalmar Nyckel"
2005 John Adams On the Transmigration of Souls
  • Jennifer Higdon – Concerto For Orchestra
  • Tigran Mansurian – "... and then I was in time again"
  • André Previn – Violin Concerto
  • Valentyn Silvestrov – Requiem For Larissa
2006 William Bolcom Songs Of Innocence And Of Experience
  • Carlos Franzetti – Corpus Evita
  • Ned Rorem – Nine Episodes For Four Players
  • Osvaldo Golijov – Ayre
  • Peter Boyer – Ellis Island: The Dream of America
2007 Osvaldo Golijov Ainadamar
  • Elliott Carter – Boston Concerto
  • Christopher Theofanidis – The Here And Now
  • David Del Tredici – Paul Revere's Ride
  • James MacMillan – A Scotch Bestiary
2008[17] Joan Tower Made In America
  • Joan Albert Amargós – Northern Concerto
  • David Chesky – Concerto For Bassoon And Orchestra
  • Jennifer Higdon – Zaka
  • Peter Lieberson – Neruda Songs
2009[18] John Corigliano Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems Of Bob Dylan
  • Marc-André Dalbavie – Flute Concerto
  • Michael Gandolfi – The Garden Of Cosmic Speculation
  • George Tsontakis – Violin Concerto No. 2
  • Chris Walden – Symphony No. 1, The Four Elements
2010 Jennifer Higdon Percussion Concerto
  • George Crumb – The Winds Of Destiny
  • Arvo Pärt – In Principio
  • Roberto Sierra – Missa Latina 'Pro Pace'
  • Yehudi Wyner – Chiavi in Mano
2011 Michael Daugherty Deus ex Machina
  • Hans Werner Henze – Appassionatamente Plus
  • Magnus Lindberg – Graffiti
  • Arvo Pärt – Symphony No. 4
  • Rodion Shchedrin – The Enchanted Wanderer
2012 Robert Aldridge Elmer Gantry
  • George Crumb – The Ghosts Of Alhambra
  • Jefferson Friedman – String Quartet No. 3
  • Steven Mackey – Lonely Motel - Music From Slide
  • Poul Ruders – Piano Concerto No. 2
2013 Stephen Hartke Meanwhile - Incidental Music To Imaginary Puppet Plays
  • Tania León – Inura For Voices, Strings & Percussion
  • Uģis Prauliņš – The Nightingale
  • Einojuhani Rautavaara – Cello Concerto No. 2 Towards the Horizon
  • Steven Stucky – August 4, 1964
2014 Maria Schneider Winter Morning Walks
  • Magnus Lindberg – Piano Concerto No. 2
  • Arvo Pärt – Adam's Lament
  • Esa-Pekka Salonen – Violin Concerto
  • Caroline Shaw – Partita for 8 Voices
2015 John Luther Adams Become Ocean
  • Anna Clyne – Prince of Clouds
  • George Crumb – Voices From The Heartland
  • Stephen Paulus – Concerto For Two Trumpets & Band
  • Roberto Sierra – Sinfonía No. 4
2016 Stephen Paulus Prayers and Remembrances
  • Gerald Barry – The Importance of Being Earnest
  • Andrew Norman – Play
  • Joan Tower – Stroke
  • Julia Wolfe – Anthracite Fields
2017 Michael Daugherty Tales of Hemingway
  • Jennifer Higdon – Cold Mountain
  • Christopher Theofanidis – Bassoon Concerto
  • Kip Winger – Conversations With Nijinsky
  • Mason Bates – Anthology of Fantastic Zoology
2018 Jennifer Higdon Viola Concerto
  • Zhou Tian – Concerto For Orchestra
  • Adam Schoenberg – Picture Studies
  • Tigran Mansurian – Requiem
  • Richard Danielpour – Songs Of Solitude
2019 Aaron Jay Kernis Violin Concerto
  • Jake Heggie – Great Scott
  • Missy Mazzoli – Vespers For Violin
  • Mason Bates – The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs
  • Du Yun – Air Glow
2020 Jennifer Higdon Harp Concerto
  • Derek Bermel – Migration Series For Jazz Ensemble & Orchestra
  • Wynton Marsalis – Violin Concerto In D Major
  • Andrew Norman – Sustain
  • Caroline Shaw – Orange
  • Julia Wolfe – Fire In My Mouth Show
2021 Christopher Rouse Symphony No. 5
  • Carlisle Floyd – Prince of Players
  • Ted Hearne – Place
  • Thomas Adès – Piano Concerto
  • Richard Danielpour – The Passion Of Yeshua
2022 Caroline Shaw Narrow Sea
  • Andy Akiho - Seven Pillars
  • Louis Andriessen - The Only One
  • Clarice Assad, Sérgio Assad, Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin & David Skidmore - Archetypes
  • Jon Batiste - Movement 11
2023 Kevin Puts Contact[19]
  • Andy Akiho - Ligneos Suite
  • Derek Bermel - Intonations
  • Sofia Gubaidulina - The Wrath of God
  • Carlos Simon; Marco Pavé (librettist) - Requiem for the Enslaved
2024 Jessie Montgomery Rounds
  • Thomas Adès - Dante
  • Andy Akiho - In That Space, In That Time
  • William Brittelle - Psychedelics
  • Missy Mazzoli - Dark with Excessive Bright
2025[20] Gabriela Ortiz Revolución Diamantina
  • Andrea Cassarubios - Seven for Solo Cello
  • Valerie Coleman - Revelry
  • David Lang - Composition as Explanation
  • Kaija Saariaho - Adriana Mater
2026 Gabriela Ortiz Dzonot
  • Christopher Cerrone - Don't Look Down
  • Donnacha Denehy - Land of Winter
  • Tania León - Raíces (Origins)
  • Shawn E. Okpebholo - Songs in Flight
  • Gabriela Ortiz - Dzonot

Notes

  1. ^
    • From 1961 to 1962 the award was known as Best Contemporary Classical Composition
    • In 1963 it was awarded as Best Contemporary Composition
    • In 1965 it was awarded as Best Composition by a Contemporary Composer
    • In 1966 and 1964 it was awarded as Best Composition by a Contemporary Classical Composer
    • In 1985 it was awarded as Best New Classical Composition
    • From 1986 to 1994 it was again awarded as Best Contemporary Composition
    • From 1995 to 2011 it was again awarded as Best Classical Contemporary Composition
    • In 2012 the category was renamed into Best Contemporary Classical Composition

References

  1. ^ "Grammy Awards at a Glance". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  2. ^ "Overview". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  3. ^ "Grammy Awards Winners & Nominees for Best Classical Contemporary Composition". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  4. ^ "3rd Annual GRAMMY Awards | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  5. ^ "4th Annual GRAMMY Awards | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  6. ^ "5th Annual GRAMMY Awards | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  7. ^ "6th Annual GRAMMY Awards | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  8. ^ "7th Annual GRAMMY Awards | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  9. ^ "8th Annual GRAMMY Awards | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  10. ^ "40th Annual GRAMMY Awards | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  11. ^ "41st Annual GRAMMY Awards | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  12. ^ "42nd Annual GRAMMY Awards | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  13. ^ "43rd Annual GRAMMY Awards | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  14. ^ "44th Annual GRAMMY Awards | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  15. ^ "45th Annual GRAMMY Awards | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  16. ^ "46th Annual GRAMMY Awards | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  17. ^ "50th Annual GRAMMY Awards | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  18. ^ "51st Annual GRAMMY Awards | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  19. ^ Grammys 2023 Winners: See the Full List Here|Pitchfork
  20. ^ 2025