Grammy for Best Choral Performance.

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) yesterday announced the nominees for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, which will be presented on Monday 31 January 2022.

In the Best Choral Performance category, the award goes to the orchestral conductor, choral conductor and choir. Among the six nominees are four albums with current works:

• It’s A Long Way, by the Skylark Vocal Ensemble, conducted by Matthew Guard, with contemporary pieces by composers such as Nell Shaw Cohen (author of the piece that gives the album its title), Jonathan Woody, Eric Whitacre, Evelyn Simpson Curenton, Eleanor Joanne Daley, Gregory W. Brown or Arvo Pärt, by whom two pieces are performed.

• Rising w/The Crossing. Conductor: Donald Nally (International Contemporary Ensemble & Quicksilver and The Crossing). With pieces by contemporary composers such as Ted Hearne, David Lang, Eriks Esenvalds, Santa Ratniece, Paul Fowler and Joby Talbot.

• The Singing Guitar. Conductor: Craig Hella Johnson (Estelí Gomez; Austin Guitar Quartet, Douglas Harvey, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet & Texas Guitar Quartet; Conspirare). The disc consists exclusively of works by living composers, primarily Nico Muhly and Kile Smith, with one piece by Reena Esmail and one by Craig Hella Johnson.

• Benedict Sheehan: Liturgy Of Saint John Chrysostom. Conductor and composer: Benedict Sheehan (The Saint Tikhon Choir: Michael Hawes, Timothy Parsons and Jason Thoms).

The other two discs are:

• Schnittke: Choir Concerto; Three Sacred Hymns; Pärt: Seven Magnificat-Antiphons. Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš. Choirmaster: Heli Jürgenson (Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir).

• Mahler: Symphony No. 8, “Symphony of a Thousand”. Conductor: Gustavo Dudamel. Choral conductors: Grant Gershon, Robert Istad, Fernando Malvar-Ruiz and Luke McEndarfer (Los Angeles Philharmonic; Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, Los Angeles Master Chorale, National Children’s Chorus & Pacific Chorale: Leah Crocetto, Mihoko Fujimura, Ryan McKinny, Erin Morley, Tamara Mumford, Simon O’Neill, Morris Robinson & Tamara Wilson).