Jacobs School alumni, faculty among Grammy nominees

Several faculty members and alumni of the Jacobs School of Music have been nominated by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to be recognized for their work at the 2013 Grammy Awards.

Nominees include faculty members Kris Kwapis and Washington McClain and alumnus Eric Guinivan,who is a composer and the founder of the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet.

“They [the members] are simultaneously teaching students how to grow, while also showing them what it’s like to be further down the road and active professionally,” Guinivan said.

Guinivan’s quartet is being considered for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance and Best Surround Album, due to its work in “Rupa Khandra,” one of the group’s contemporary classical albums.

“We were kind of floored and ecstatic when we found out we actually got nominated,” he said.

Guinivan said his experience with “top-notch educators” at the Jacobs School was important in the development of his career.

“I got to work with really, really terrific faculty in every department,” Guinivan said.
McClain also said the talent of the Jacobs School staff tremendously contributes to its success.

“I think there’s a lot of thought that goes into every teacher that teaches at the school,” McClain said. “They generally go out of their way to get performers that are really good at their craft.”

McClain and Kwapis were nominated for Best Choral Performance for their performances in the Trinity Baroque Orchestra’s “Handel: Israel in Egypt.” Kwapis played baroque trumpet, while McClain played baroque oboe.

McClain said being a performer and a professor gives students the opportunity to participate in pieces with him.

“It gives a lot of these students an opportunity to play while they’re learning,” he said.
Kwapis said she felt her students helped her develop her professional career.

“Helping students realize their potential and opening their minds to new ways of thinking are inspiring for me, and I hope it is also inspiring to them,” Kwapis said.  “I learn a lot from my students, and I am grateful for the opportunity to share what I love with them.”

Jacobs School alumni Chris Botti, Andrew Hendricks and Edgar Meyer and faculty member Leonard Slatkin were also nominated for Grammys this year.

The 2013 Grammys will be Feb. 10 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. However, the Grammy concert will be broadcast in Nashville, Tenn., and be hosted by LL Cool J and Taylor Swift.