Kylee Pastore Asirvatham
CCNY has a rich history of GRAMMY® Award-winning alumni and faculty. Jazz musician alumni Dan Pugach ’11 was awarded a GRAMMY® for Best “Large Jazz Ensemble” for his album "Bianca Reimagined: Paws and Persistence" by the Dan Pugach Big Band, featuring Nicole Zuraitis, on which CCNY Masters of Music student Nitzan Gavrieli played piano and CCNY Masters of Music private instructor Pete McCann played guitar. Jon Rezin, a graduate of the Sonic Arts Center (SAC) in 2002, previously won a GRAMMY® for Best Musical Theater Album for his contributions to "The Bridgerton Musical" and was nominated for Album of the Year at the Latin GRAMMY® Awards. Kris Davis, who earned an MA in Composition in 2011, received the Best Instrumental Jazz Album GRAMMY® for her performance on New Standards Vol. 1. CCNY alumnus Aidan Carroll (MA Jazz '08) also took home one for his collaboration with Rolling Stones vocalist Lisa Fisher. Cherrelle Crews, another SAC graduate ('16), contributed to the winning Best Roots Gospel Album "Church" by Cory Henry and was part of the production team nominated for Best Gospel Performance/Song in 2024 and 2017. BA in Jazz graduate Berta Moreno (‘16) is also part of the multi-GRAMMY®-winning Arturo O'Farrill's Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. SAC graduate (‘00) John Fecu engineered Al Franken’s Best Spoken Word album. Finally, Jazz faculty member Steve Wilson has earned multiple GRAMMY® Awards for his work with renowned artists like Billy Childs, Christian McBride, and Maria Schneider. Legendary former faculty members Jimmy Heath, Ron Carter, and John Patitucci also share in this legacy, each earning both nominations and wins at the GRAMMY® Awards for their contributions to jazz.
CCNY also has a legacy of GRAMMY®-nominated musicians. Faculty member Ray Gallon lent his talents to Lionel Hampton's album "Cookin' in the Kitchen," earning a nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 1991. Former faculty member Chris Zuar received a nomination in the Instrumental Composition category. Mike Holober, a current faculty member, has been nominated for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for his work "Hiding Out," along with four other nominations. Paul Special, also a faculty member within the Sonic Arts Center, was nominated for Outstanding Sound Mixing for A Variety Series. Elise Crull, professor in the CCNY Philosophy department, sang on the Downtown Voices album that was nominated for the 2025 Best Choral Album. The late David Del Tredici, a former Distinguished Professor, received a GRAMMY® nomination for his composition "Paul Revere's Ride." Former faculty member John Lewis, celebrated for his contributions to the Modern Jazz Quartet, was nominated for four GRAMMY® Awards. These past wins and nominations underscore the lasting impact CCNY's talented community has on the music world.