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St. Louis Symphony basks in violinist’s Grammy nomination

Violinist Leila Josefowicz plays with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in this photo taken earlier this fall.
Dilip Vishwanat
Violinist Leila Josefowicz plays with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra earlier this fall.

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra can claim some of the glory in a Grammy Awards nomination announced today.

Violinist Leila Josefowiczwas nominated for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for her performance on John Adams' Scheherazade.2,  in a February 2016 recording with the SLSO. Music Director David Robertson conducted the performance.

In aSeptember 2016 review, NPR said the piece was “masterfully illuminated by conductor David Robertson and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.”

Composer John Adams talks with Symphony music director David Robertson at Powell Hall in this photo taken in the fall of 2016.
Credit DilipVishwanat
Composer John Adams talks with Symphony music director David Robertson at Powell Hall.

The SLSO is not directly nominated for this award. The Symphony has been nominated at least 57 times and has won seven Grammys, most recently in 2015.

The full list of Best Classical Instrumental Solo nominations has another tie to the Symphony. Violinist Gil Shaham is the brother of Robertson’s wife Orli Shaham. He is among the nominees for his performance on “1930's Violin Concertos, Vol. 2."

Here’s the full list of nominees in that category:

  • “Adams, J.: Scheherazade.2” — Leila Josefowicz; David Robertson, conductor (Chester Englander; St. Louis Symphony)
  • “Daugherty: Tales of Hemingway” — Zuill Bailey; Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor (Nashville Symphony)
  • “Dvořák: Violin Concerto & Romance; Suk: Fantasy” — Christian Tetzlaff; John Storgårds, conductor (Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra)
  • “Mozart: Keyboard Music, Vols. 8 & 9” - Kristian Bezuidenhout
  • “1930's Violin Concertos, Vol. 2” - Gil Shaham; Stéphane Denève, conductor (The Knights & Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra)

The 59th Annual Grammy Awards will be held Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. 

Watch composer John Adams and violinist Leila Josefowicz discuss Scheherazade.2 and see part of a performance with the New York Philharmonic.

Follow Nancy on Twitter: @NancyFowlerSTL

Nancy is a veteran journalist whose career spans television, radio, print and online media. Her passions include the arts and social justice, and she particularly delights in the stories of people living and working in that intersection.