Among some of the music industry’s top stars, two faculty members from the Queens College Aaron Copland School of Music took home Grammy Awards this year.
Mark Dover, an adjunct clarinet professor, won an award for Best Classical Compendium for his role playing in and producing Imani Wind’s latest release, Passion for Bach and Coltrane. Dover was also nominated for a Grammy in 2022 for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance.
“Since I was 11 years old all I ever wanted to do was spend my life making music. I never had any grander ideas than making a living playing,” wrote Dover on his Instagram page with a video of him taking the stage at the ceremony. “Everything else that has happened to me since has been an unbelievable gift.”
Meanwhile, Luis Perdomo, who received a masters degree from ACSM where he now teaches jazz performance in piano, received an award for Best Latin Jazz Album. He worked with Miguel Zenón on Arte Del Bolero Vol. 2. As an ensemble performer he’s also premiered at festivals and venues in over 50 countries.
“This recognition perfectly reflects the caliber of a Queens College Arts education,” said Queens President Frank H. Wu. “Students who enroll in the Aaron Copland School of Music in our School of Arts can expect to learn from exceptional faculty who are also real-world successes—an experience that will provide them with a sound musical foundation, as well as the skills needed to succeed with their degree.”
The 66th annual Grammy Awards show on Sunday, Feb. 4 recognized recordings released between Oct. 1, 2022 and Sept. 15, 2023. Another faculty member and one alumnus also received nominations this year.
For ACSM Adjunct Jazz Professor Darcy James Argue, this year marked the fourth time he was nominated for a Grammy. The composer and bandleader has toured the world with his award-winning 18-piece ensemble Secret Society. This year he was nominated for in the category of Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for Dynamic Maximum Tension.
Conductor JoAnn Falletta, an alumnus, was nominated for Best Orchestral Performance for her work on Scriabin: Symphony No. 2; The Poem Of Ecstasy. She received a masters in music from ACSM, as well as The Juilliard School, and has already won two Grammys–one in 2019 and the other in 2022.
According to the college, its faculty and alumni have been nominated or won over 100 Grammy Awards since 1980.
“We at ACSM are proud and excited that two of our faculty received these prestigious awards,” said Michael Lipsey, Director of ACSM.
