Grammy Awards 2025 Nominations: Beyoncé breaks records and there are unexpected surprises!

The wait is over! The 2025 Grammy Awards are just around the corner and the music industry is buzzing. On February 2, the spotlight will be on Las Vegas for a night that promises to be legendary. But what would the Grammys be without a good dose of drama, fierce competition and last-minute surprises?

Beyoncé: The Queen Seeks Her Ultimate Throne

The incomparable Beyoncé leads the race with 11 nominations, reaching a historic milestone of 99 nominations in her career. But the million-dollar question is still up in the air: Will she finally get the elusive Album of the Year trophy? The competition won’t make it easy, and the stakes are higher than ever. The battle is on!

New Faces, Old Legends and Musical Battles

Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift are not about to give up any ground, but the real surprises come from “newcomers” Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, who sneak onto the list with six nominations each. Charli XCX also makes a splash with seven nominations thanks to her explosive album Brat. Meanwhile, Post Malone and Kendrick Lamar continue to cement their reign with eight and seven nominations, respectively.

Musical Explosions in Album of the Year!

The Album of the Year category is loaded with dynamite. From Charli XCX ‘s bold Brat to André 3000′s unexpected wind album, New Blue Sun. And, of course, the iconic Taylor Swift with The Tortured Poets Department and Billie Eilish with Hit Me Hard and Soft– an explosive mix of styles and personalities!

Recording of the Year: From Legends to Controversies!

The Record of the Year category is no slouch, mixing classics with tracks that have shaken the world. The Beatles resurface with “Now and Then,” while Kendrick Lamar sets the scene on fire with “Not Like Us,” a track that has been at the center of controversy with Drake. Drama is guaranteed!

Revelations of the Year: The Future of Music is Here!

The Best New Artists are ready to take the stage by storm. Doechii, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter lead a generation that promises to be game changers. Plus, Beyoncé collaborator Shaboozey bursts onto the scene with five nominations, including Song of the Year.

Great Absences and Rebellions

But it’s not all glitz and glamour. Zach Bryan has decided to stand on the sidelines, refusing to participate in the Grammys on the grounds that “making music competitive” is unnatural. He joins the list of rebels like Drake, The Weeknd and Frank Ocean, who have also turned their backs on the Academy.

This is the complete list of nominations:

Recording of the Year:

• The Beatles – “Now and Then”
• Beyoncé – “Texas Hold ‘Em”.
• Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather”.
• Chappell Roan – “Good Luck, Babe!”
• Charli XCX – “360”
• Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”.
• Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso”.
• Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight”.

Album of the Year:

• André 3000 – New Blue Sun
• Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter
• Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft
• Chappell Roan – The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
• Charli XCX – Brat
• Jacob Collier – Djesse Vol. 4
• Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet
• Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department

Song of the Year:

• Beyoncé – “Texas Hold ‘Em”.
• Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather”.
• Chappell Roan – “Good Luck, Babe!”
• Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”.
• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With a Smile”.
• Sabrina Carpenter – “Please Please Please”.
• Shaboozey – “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
• Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight”.

Best New Artist:

• Benson Boone
• Doechii
• Chappell Roan
• Khruangbin
• Raye
• Sabrina Carpenter
• Shaboozey
• Teddy Swims

Best Pop Solo Performance:

• Beyoncé – “Bodyguard”
• Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather”.
• Chappell Roan – “Good Luck, Babe!”
• Charli XCX – “Apple”
• Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso”.

Best Pop Vocal Album:

• Ariana Grande – Eternal Sunshine
• Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft
• Chappell Roan – The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
• Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet
• Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department

Best Alternative Music Performance:

• Cage the Elephant – “Neon Pill”.
• Fontaines D.C. – “Starburster”
• Kim Gordon – “Bye Bye Bye”
• Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – “Song of the Lake”.
• St. Louis Vincent – “Flea”

Best Alternative Music Album:

• Brittany Howard – What Now
• Clairo – Charm
• Kim Gordon – The Collective
• Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Wild God
• St. Louis Vincent – All Born Screaming

Best Rap Performance:

• Cardi B – “Enough (Miami)”
• Common & Pete Rock feat. Posdnuos – “When the Sun Shines Again”.
• Doechii – “Nissan Altima”.
• Eminem – “Houdini”
• Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar – “Like That”.
• Glorilla – “Yeah Glo!”
• Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”.

Best Rap Album:

• Common & Pete Rock – The Auditorium Vol. 1
• Doechii – Alligator Bites Never Heal
• Eminem – The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)
• Future & Metro Boomin – We Don’t Trust You
• J. Cole – Might Delete Later

Best Spoken Word Album (Poetry):

• Malik Yusef – Good M.U.S.I.C. Universe Sonic Sinema Episode 1: In the Beginning Was the Word
• Omari Hardwick – Concrete & Whiskey Act II Part 1: A Bourbon 30 Series
• Queen Sheba – Civil Writes: The South Got Something to Say
• Skillz – The Seven Number Ones
• Tank and the Bangas – The Heart, the Mind, the Soul

Best Jazz Performance:

• The Baylor Project – “Walk With Me, Lord (Sound | Spirit)”.
• Chick Corea & Béla Fleck – “Juno”.
• Dan Pugach & Nicole Zuraitis feat. Troy Roberts – “Little Fears”.
• Lakecia Benjamin feat. Randy Brecker, Jeff “Tain” Watts & John Scofield – “Phoenix Reimagined (Live)”
• Samara Joy feat. Sullivan Fortner – “Twinkle Twinkle Little Me”.

Best Jazz Vocal Album:

• Catherine Russell & Sean Mason – My Ideal
• Christie Dashiell – Journey in Black
• Kurt Elling & Sullivan Fortner – Wildflowers Vol. 1
• Milton Nascimento & Esperanza Spalding – Milton + Esperanza
• Samara Joy – A Joyful Holiday

Best Jazz Instrumental Album:

• Ambrose Akinmusire – Owl Song
• Chick Corea & Béla Fleck – Remembrance
• Kenny Barron – Beyond This Place
• Lakecia Benjamin – Phoenix Reimagined (Live)
• Sullivan Fortner – Solo Game

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album:

• The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra – And So It Goes
• Dan Pugach – Bianca Reimagined
• John Beasley feat. Frankfurt Radio Big Band – Returning to Forever
• Miguel Zenón – Golden City
• Orrin Evans & The Captain Black Big Band – Walk a Mile in My Shoe

Best Latin Jazz Album:

• Donald Vega feat. Lewis Nash, John Patitucci & Luisito Quintero – As I Travel
• Eliane Elias – Time and Again
• Hamilton de Holanda & Gonzalo Rubalcaba – Collab
• Horacio ‘El Negro’ Hernandez, John Beasley & Jose Gola – El Trio: Live in Italy
• Michel Camilo & Tomatito – Spain Forever Again
• Zaccai Curtis – Cubop Lives!

Best Alternative Jazz Album:

• Arooj Aftab – Night Reign
• André 3000 – New Blue Sun
• Keyon Harrold – Foreverland
• Meshell Ndegeocello – No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin
• Robert Glasper – Code Derivation

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:

• Aaron Lazar – Impossible Dream
• Cyrille Aimée – À Fleur de Peau
• Gregory Porter – Christmas Wish
• Lake Street Dive – Good Together
• Norah Jones – Visions

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album:

• Béla Fleck – Rhapsody in Blue
• Bill Frisell – Orchestras (Live)
• Julian Lage – Speak to Me
• Mark Guiliana – Mark
• Taylor Eigsti – Plot Armor

Best Musical Theater Album:

• Hell’s Kitchen
• Merrily We Roll Along
• The Notebook
• The Outsiders
• Suffs
• The Wiz

Best Country Solo Performance:

• Beyoncé – “16 Carriages”.
• Chris Stapleton – “It Takes a Woman”.
• Jelly Roll – “I Am Not Okay”.
• Kacey Musgraves – “The Architect”.
• Shaboozey – “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:

• Beyoncé & Miley Cyrus – “II Most Wanted”.
• Brothers Osborne – “Break Mine”.
• Dan + Shay – “Bigger Houses”.
• Kelsea Ballerini & Noah Kahan – “Cowboys Cry Too”.
• Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen – “I Had Some Help”.

Best Country Song:

• Beyoncé – “Texas Hold ‘Em”.
• Jelly Roll – “I Am Not Okay”.
• Kacey Musgraves – “The Architect”.
• Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen – “I Had Some Help”.
• Shaboozey – “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”

Best Country Album:

• Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter
• Chris Stapleton – Higher
• Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well
• Lainey Wilson – Whirlwind
• Post Malone – F-1 Trillion

Best American Roots Performance:

• The Fabulous Thunderbirds feat. Bonnie Raitt, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal & Mick Fleetwood – “Nothing in Rambling”.
• Rhiannon Giddens – “The Ballad of Sally Anne”.
• Shemekia Copeland – “Blame It on Eve”.
• Sierra Ferrell – “Lighthouse”.

Best American Performance:

• Beyoncé – “Ya Ya”
• Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – “Empty Trainload of Sky”.
• Madi Diaz & Kacey Musgraves – “Don’t Do Me Good”.
• Madison Cunningham – “Subtitles”.
• Sarah Jarosz – “Runaway Train”.
• Sierra Ferrell – “American Dreaming”

Best American Roots Song:

• Aoife O’Donovan – “All My Friends”.
• Iron & Wine & Fiona Apple – “All in Good Time”.
• Mark Knopfler – “Ahead of the Game”.
• Shemekia Copeland – “Blame It on Eve”.
• Sierra Ferrell – “American Dreaming

Best Americana Album:

• Charley Crockett – $10 Cowboy
• Maggie Rose – No One Gets Out Alive
• Sarah Jarosz – Polaroid Lovers
• Sierra Ferrell – Trail of Flowers
• T Bone Burnett – The Other Side
• Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood

Best Bluegrass Album:

• Billy Strings – Live Vol. 1
• Bronwyn Keith-Hynes – I Built a World
• Dan Tyminski – Dan Tyminski: Live From the Ryman
• The Del McCoury Band – Songs of Love and Life
• Sister Sadie – No Fear
• Tony Trischka – Earl Jam

Best Traditional Blues Album:

• Cedric Burnside – Hill Country Love
• The Fabulous Thunderbirds – Struck Down
• Little Feat – Sam’s Place
• Sue Foley – One Guitar Woman
• Taj Mahal – Swingin’: Live at the Church in Tulsa

Best Contemporary Blues Album:

• Antonio Vergara – The Fury
• Joe Bonamassa – Blues Deluxe Vol. 2
• Ruthie Foster – Mileage
• Shemekia Copeland – Blame It on Eve
• Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour – Friendlytown

Best Folk Album:

• Adrianne Lenker – Bright Future
• American Patchwork Quartet – American Patchwork Quartet
• Aoife O’Donovan – All My Friends
• Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – Woodland
• Madi Diaz – Weird Faith

Best Regional Roots Music Album:

• Big Chief Monk feat. J’wan Boudreaux – Live at the 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
• Kalani Pe’a – Kuini
• New Breed Brass Band feat. Trombone Shorty – Live at the 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
• The Rumble – Stories From the Battlefield
• Sean Ardoin & Kreole Rock and Soul – 25 Back to My Roots

Best Performance/Gospel Song:

• Doe – Holy Hands
• Melvin Crispell III – Yesterday
• Ricky Dillard – Hold On (Live)
• Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Erica Campbell & Israel Houghton feat. Jonathan McReynolds & Jekalyn Carr – One Hallelujah
• Yolanda Adams – Church Doors

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance:

• Bethel Music, Jenn Johnson feat. CeCe Winans – Holy Forever (Live)
• CeCe Winans – That’s My King
• Elevation Worship feat. Brandon Lake, Chris Brown & Chandler Moore – Praise
• Honor & Glory & Disciple – Firm Foundation (He Won’t)
• Jwlkrs Worship & Maverick City Music feat. Chandler Moore – In the Name of Jesus
• Maverick City Music, Naomi Raine & Chandler Moore feat. Tasha Cobbs Leonard – In the Room

Best Gospel Album:

• CeCe Winans – More Than This
• Karen Clark Sheard – Still Karen
• Kirk Franklin – Father’s Day
• Melvin Crispell III – Covered Vol. 1
• Ricky Dillard – Choirmaster II (Live)

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album:

• Brandon Lake – Coat of Many Colors
• Doe – Heart of a Human
• Elevation Worship – When Wind Meets Fire
• Forrest Frank – Child of God
• Maverick City Music, Chandler Moore & Naomi Raine – The Maverick Way Complete

Best Roots Gospel Album

• Authentic Unlimited – The Gospel Sessions, Vol. 2
• Cory Henry – Church
• The Harlem Gospel Travelers – Rhapsody
• Mark D. Conklin – The Gospel According to Mark
• The Nelons – Loving You

Best Latin Pop Album

• Anitta – Funk Generation
• Kali Uchis – Orchids
• Kany García – García
• Luis Fonsi – El Viaje
• Shakira – Women Don’t Cry Anymore

Best Urban Music Album

• Bad Bunny – Nobody Knows What Will Happen Tomorrow
• Feid – Ferxxocalypse
• J Balvin – Rayo
• Residente – Letters Don’t Matter Anymore
• Young Miko – Att.

Best Latin Alternative or Rock Album

• Cimafunk – Pa’ Tu Cuerpa (For Your Body)
• David Aguilar – Compete of Destiny
• Mon Laferte – Autopoietic
• Nathy Peluso – Fat
• Rawayana – Who Brings the Bugles?

Best Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)

• Carín León – Boca Chueca, Vol. 1
• Chiquis – Diamonds
• Jessi Uribe – From Far Away
• Featherweight – Exodus

Best Tropical Latin Album

• Juan Luis Guerra 4.40 – Radio Güira
• Kiki Valera – Vacilón Santiaguero
• Marc Anthony – Muevense
• Sheila E. – Dancing
• Tony Succar & Mimy Succar – Soul, Heart and Salsa (Live at Gran Teatro Nacional)

Best Global Music Performance

• Angélique Kidjo & Soweto Gospel Choir – Sunlight to My Soul
• Arooj Aftab – Raat Ki Rani
• Jacob Collier feat. Anoushka Shankar & Varijashree Venugopal – A Rock Somewhere
• Masa Takumi feat. Ron Korb, Noshir Mody & Dale Edward Chung – Kashira
• Rocky Dawuni – Rise
• Sheila E. feat. Gloria Estefan & Mimy Succar – Bemba Colorá

Best African Music Performance

• Asake & Wizkid – MMS
• Burna Boy – Higher
• Chris Brown feat. Davido & Lojay – Sensational
• Tems – Love Me JeJe
• Yemi Alade – Tomorrow

Best Global Music Album

• Antonio Rey – Stories of a Flamenco
• Ciro Hurtado – Landscapes
• Matt B & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Alkebulan II
• Rema – Heis
• Tems – Born in the Wild

Best Reggae Album

• Collie Buddz – Take It Easy
• Shenseea – Never Gets Late Here
• Various Artists – Bob Marley: One Love – Music Inspired By the Film (Deluxe)
• Vybz Kartel – Party With Me
• The Wailers – Evolution

Best New Age, Ambient or Song Album

• Anoushka Shankar – Chapter II: How Dark It Is Before Dawn
• Chris Redding – Visions of Sounds De Luxe
• Radhika Vekaria – Warriors of Light
• Ricky Kej – Break of Dawn
• Ryuichi Sakamoto – Opus
• Wouter Kellerman, Éru Matsumoto & Chandrika Tandon – Triveni

Best Children’s Music Album

• Divinity Roxx & Divi Roxx Kids – World Wide Playdate
• John Legend – My Favorite Dream
• Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band – Brillo, Brillo!
• Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats – Growing Up
• Rock for Children – Solid Rock Revival

Best Comedy Album

• Dave Chappelle – The Dreamer
• Jim Gaffigan – The Prisoner
• Nikki Glaser – Someday You’ll Die
• Ricky Gervais – Armageddon
• Trevor Noah – Where Was I

Best Audiobook, Narration and Storytelling Recording

• Barbra Streisand – My Name Is Barbra
• Dolly Parton – Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones
• George Clinton – …And Your Ass Will Follow
• Jimmy Carter – Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration
• Various Artists – All You Need Is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media

• London Symphony Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin & Bradley Cooper – Maestro: Music by Leonard Bernstein
• Various Artists – The Color Purple
• Various Artists – Deadpool & Wolverine
• Various Artists – Saltburn
• Various Artists – Twisters: The Album

Best Original Score for Visual Media (Includes Film and Television)

• Kris Bowers – The Color Purple
• Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two
• Laura Karpman – American Fiction
• Nick Chuba, Atticus Ross & Leopold Ross – Shōgun
• Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Challengers

Best Original Score for Video Games and Other Interactive Media

• Bear McCreary – God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla
• John Paesano – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Pinar Toprak – Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
• Wilbert Roget II – Star Wars Outlaws
• Winifred Phillips – Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord

Best Song Written for Visual Media

• Barbra Streisand – Love Will Survive (From The Tattooist of Auschwitz)
• Jon Batiste – It Never Went Away (From the Netflix documentary American Symphony).
• Luke Combs – Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma (From Twisters: The Album)
• *Sync & Justin Timberlake – Better Place (From Trolls Band Together)
• Olivia Rodrigo – Can’t Catch Me Now (From The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes)

Best Music Video

• A$AP Rocky – Tailor Swif
• Charli XCX – 360
• Eminem – Houdini
• Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us
• Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone – Fortnight

Best Musical Film

• Jon Batiste – American Symphony
• June Carter Cash – June
• Run-DMC – Kings From Queens
• Steven Van Zandt – Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple
• Various Artists – The Greatest Night in Pop

Best Recording Packaging Design

• The Avett Brothers – The Avett Brothers
• Charli XCX – Brat
• iWhoiWhoo – Pregnancy, Breakdown, and Disease
• Kate Bush – Hounds of Love (Baskerville Edition)
• The Muddy Basin Ramblers – Jug Band Millionaire
• Post Malone – F-1 Trillion
• William Clark Green – Baker Hotel

Best Special or Limited Edition Packaging

• Alpha Wolf – Half Living Things
• John Lennon – Mind Games
• Kate Bush – Hounds of Love (The Boxes of Lost at Sea)
• Nirvana – In Utero
• Unsuk Chin & Berliner Philharmoniker – Unsuk Chin
• 90 Day Men – We Blame Chicago

Best Notebook

• Alice Coltrane – The Carnegie Hall Concert (Live)
• Ford Dabney’s Syncopated Orchestras – After Midnight
• John Culshaw – John Culshaw – The Art of the Producer – The Early Years 1948-55
• King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band & Various Artists – Centennial
• Various Artists – Original SONtrack of the Movie “Al Son de Beno”.

Best Historical Album

• King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band & Various Artists – Centennial
• Paul Robeson – Paul Robeson – Voice of Freedom: His Complete Columbia, RCA, HMV, and Victor Recordings
• Pepe de Lucía & Paco de Lucía – Pepito and Paquito
• Prince & the New Power Generation – Diamonds and Pearls (Super Deluxe Edition)
• Rodgers & Hammerstein & Julie Andrews – The Sound of Music (Original Soundtrack Recording) (Super Deluxe Edition)

Best Engineered Sound Album, Non-Classical

• Charlotte Day Wilson – Cyan Blue
• Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well
• Lucky Daye – Algorithm
• Peter Gabriel – I/O
• Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet
• Willow – Empathogen

Best Engineered Sound Album, Classical

• Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel & María Dueñas – Gabriela Ortiz: Diamond Revolution
• Los Angeles Philharmonic, John Adams & Los Angeles Master Chorale – John Adams: Girls of the Golden West
• Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra & Manfred Honeck – Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 – Bates: Resurrexit (Live)
• Skylark Vocal Ensemble & Matthew Guard – Clear Voices in the Dark
• Timo Andres, Andrew Cyr & Metropolis Ensemble – Timo Andres: The Blind Banister

Producer of the Year, Classic

• Christoph Franke
• Dirk Sobotka
• Dmitriy Lipay
• Elaine Martone
• Erica Brenner
• Morten Lindberg

Best Immersive Audio Album

• Ensemble 96, Current Saxophone Quartet & Nina T. Karlsen – Pax
• Peter Gabriel – I/O (In-Side Mix)
• Ray Charles & Various Artists – Genius Loves Company
• Roxy Music – Avalon
• Trondheim Symphony Orchestra & Nick Davies – Henning Sommerro: Borders

Best Instrumental Composition

• Akropolis Reed Quintet, Pascal Le Boeuf & Christian Euman – Strands
• André 3000 – I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a “Rap” Album but This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time
• Chick Corea & Béla Fleck – Remembrance
• Christopher Zuar Orchestra – Communion
• Shelly Berg – At Last

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella

• Béla Fleck – Rhapsody in Blue(Grass)
• Henry Mancini & Snarky Puppy – Baby Elephant Walk (Encore)
• Jacob Collier feat. John Legend & Tori Kelly – Bridge Over Troubled Water
• Säje – Silent Night
• Scott Hoying feat. Säje & Tonality – Rose Without the Thorns

Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals

• Cody Fry feat. Sleeping at Last – The Sound of Silence
• John Legend – Always Come Back
• Säje feat. Regina Carter – Alma
• Willow – Big Feelings
• The 8-Bit Big Band feat. Jonah Nilsson & Button Masher – Last Surprise (From “Persona 5”)

Best Orchestral Performance

• Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra & JoAnn Falletta – Kodály: Háry János Suite, Nyári este & Symphony in C Major
• Esa-Pekka Salonen & San Francisco Symphony – Stravinsky: The Firebird
• Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel & María Dueñas – Gabriela Ortiz: Diamond Revolution
• ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra & Marin Alsop – John Adams: City Noir, Fearful Symmetries & Lola Montez Does the Spider Dance
• Susanna Mälkki & Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra – Sibelius: Karelia Suite, Rakastava & Lemminkäinen

Best Opera Recording

• Los Angeles Philharmonic, John Adams & Los Angeles Master Chorale – John Adams: Girls of the Golden West
• Lyric Opera of Kansas City & Gerard Schwarz – Moravec: The Shining
• The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & The Metropolitan Opera Chorus – Catán: Florence on the Amazon
• The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & The Metropolitan Opera Chorus – Puts: The Hours
• San Francisco Symphony Chorus & San Francisco Symphony – Saariaho: Adriana Mater

Best Choral Performance

• Apollo’s Fire & Jeannette Sorrell – Handel: Israel in Egypt, HWV 54
• The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Artefact Ensemble & Novus NY – Sheehan: Akathist
• The Crossing, Donald Nally & Dan Schwartz – Ochre
• Skylark Vocal Ensemble & Matthew Guard – Clear Voices in the Dark
• True Concord Voices & Orchestra, Jeffrey Biegel & Eric Holtan – A Dream So Bright: Choral Music of Jake Runestad

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance

• Caroline Shaw & Sō Percussion – Rectangles and Circumstance
• JACK Quartet – John Luther Adams: Waves & Particles
• Lorelei Ensemble & Christopher Cerrone – Christopher Cerrone: Beaufort Scales
• Miró Quartet – Home
• Yo-Yo Ma, Leonidas Kavakos & Emanuel Ax – Beethoven for Three: Symphony No. 4 and Op. 97 “Archduke”.

Best Classical Instrumental Soloist

• Andy Akiho – Akiho: Longing
• Curtis J Stewart, James Blachly & Experiential Orchestra – Perry: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
• Mak Grgić & Ensemble Dissonance – Entourer
• Seth Parker Woods – Eastman The Holy Presence of Joan of Arc
• Víkingur Ólafsson – J. S. Bach: Goldberg Variations

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album

• Fotina Naumenko – Bespoke Songs
• Joyce DiDonato, Il Pomo d’Oro & Maxim Emelyanychev – Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder
• Karen Slack & Michelle Cann – Beyond the Years
• Nicholas Phan, Farayi Malek & Palaver Strings – A Change Is Gonna Come
• Will Liverman & Jonathan King – Show Me the Way

Best Classic Compendium

• Amy Porter, Nikki Chooi, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra & JoAnn Falletta – Lukas Foss: Symphony No. 1 & Renaissance Concerto
• Andy Akiho & Imani Winds – BeLonging
• Danaë Xanthe Vlasse, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Michael Shapiro – Mythologies II
• Experiential Orchestra, James Blachly & Curtis J Stewart – American Counterpoints
• Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel & María Dueñas – Gabriela Ortiz: Diamond Revolution

Best Contemporary Classical Composition

• Andrea Casarrubios – Casarrubios: Seven for Solo Cello
• Decoda – Coleman: Revelry
• Esa-Pekka Salonen, Fleur Barron, Nicholas Phan, Christopher Purves, Axelle Fanyo & San Francisco Symphony Chorus & Orchestra – Saariaho: Adriana Mater
• Eighth Blackbird – Lang: Composition as Explanation
• Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Master Chorale – Ortiz: Diamond Revolution