Montreal conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin won a Grammy award for best opera record of the year. He was able to take the stage at the first ceremony of music’s biggest celebration, held Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles.
Accepting his prize alongside soprano Latonya Moore and producer David Frost, Yannick Nézet-Séguin paid tribute to the opera’s composer, Terrence Blanchard, as well as to her husband, Pierre Tourville, also choir director of the Metropolitan Orchestra.
The trophy for best opera disc, for the album Blanchard: Championwith the orchestra and chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, which he has directed since 2018, adds to a beautiful collection of golden gramophones for Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
The conductor is thus rewarded for a fourth time by the Recording Academy for his work. Now accustomed to nominations (and victories!), the conductor this time freed himself to accept the prize in person. This year he was also nominated in the category of best orchestral performance for the recording Florence Price: Symphony No. 4 – William Dawson: Negro Folk Symphonywith the Philadelphia Orchestra.
PHOTO RICHARD SHOTWELL, INVISION/AP
Allison Russell poses with her trophy in the press room
Montrealer Allison Russell, who was a finalist four times this year, also won a prize. The Grammy for Best Americana Roots Performance was awarded to him for his song Eve Was Black. Awarded during the first ceremony, the singer highlighted on stage the diversity that the community of Americana musicians, artists “of all colors, of all ages, of all abilities, of all orientations, of all genres” .
Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright is also cited this year, in the category of best folk album, with his album Folklocracy.