University of South Carolina bassoon professor Michael Harley (pictured above) and his ensemble, Alarm Will Sound, won Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1 in Los Angeles.
- Harley’s ensemble won for the collaborative piece Land of Winter by composer Donnacha Dennehy. The performance was also a nominee for Best Contemporary Classical Composition.
- Also nominated for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance were guitar assistant
professor Mak Grgić and colleague Mateusz Kowalski for Slavic Sessions. It was Grgić’s fourth nomination and second since arriving at USC in 2022.
Harmonious honors
Previous Grammy nominees with USC connections include:
- Claire Bryant, assistant professor of cello
- Alumni Chaz Bundick (Toro y Moi), Andy Akiho and Amos Lee
- Grammy-winning Hootie and the Blowfish members Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber and Jim Sonefeld
"The School of Music wishes to congratulate Michael Harley and the world-class new music ensemble of which he is a member, Alarm Will Sound, for their recent Grammy win in the Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance category,” says Tayloe Harding, USC School of Music dean. “It is a major achievement and recognition for one of our most distinguished faculty members and his superior work as a professor of music at Carolina.
“A Grammy win is a measure of excellence that is unqualifiable, cementing the legacy of Dr. Harley and Alarm Will Sound as a significant ensemble of world-renown.”
“The School of Music is both pleased and honored by Harley and Alarm Will Sound's win, their nomination in the Best Contemporary Classical Composition and by professor Mak Grgic’s nomination in the Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance category as well."