UNCG: GRAMMY nods for four with ties to School of Music, Theatre and Dance

GREENSBORO, N.C., Jan. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Two current students and two recent graduates of the UNCG School of Music, Theatre and Dance (SMTD) are finalists for 2015 GRAMMY Awards.

Peter Alexander, dean of the school, says the four nominations, remarkable for any music school, represent a "notable high water mark" for SMTD.

"This is an incredible moment because it once again confirms the School of Music, Theatre and Dance's ability to attract exceptionally talented students and then provide those students with the kind of education that catapults them to the top of their professions," Alexander says. "The graduates of the UNCG School of Music, Theatre and Dance have an amazing and longstanding record of career success. Some have won Tony Awards or Oscars, others are performing with major orchestras, dance ensembles, theatre companies or on Broadway. Still others are faculty members at major universities or are leading prominent arts organizations across the nation."

Danny Yancey '07 M.M.Ed is a finalist for the second annual award to honor educators who have made lasting contributions to music education. The winner will be announced in February during GRAMMY Week.

The Music Educator Award is presented by the Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation. This year, more than 7,000 nominations came from all 50 states.

If he wins, Yancey will fly to Los Angeles to receive the award during a Special Merit Awards ceremony that will be excerpted on GRAMMY night. He will also attend the GRAMMY Awards.

Yancey, who starts his doctorate in music education at UNCG in Fall 2015, is music director at Martin Gifted and Talented Magnet School in Raleigh. He was nominated by a student.

Singer Craig Phillips, a current doctoral student in the SMTD, is also nominated for a GRAMMY this year. Phillips, who has relocated to Greensboro, performs with the male vocal quartet New York Polyphony, a vocal chamber ensemble specializing in early and new music. The group is nominated for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for their latest recording, "Sing Thee Nowell".

"Most of the music we sing was written before 1600, so it isn't exactly 'mainstream,' even by classical music standards," Phillips says. "So receiving a Grammy nomination is very validating, on both a professional and personal level. We are very committed to what we do, and work hard to create performances that are passionate and compelling to modern ears. The GRAMMY nomination, our second, proves that we've managed to move the needle, so to speak."

Phillips moved his family to Greensboro in August. The quality of UNCG's voice program was the magnet that drew him away from New York City.

"The excellent reputation of the School of Music, Theatre and Dance and the strength of the voice faculty is what first attracted me to UNCG, but the charm and comfort of Greensboro is what sealed the deal," he says. "After living in NYC for 15 years, my wife, my two young daughters and I were ready for a change of scenery."

Two SMTD graduates are also GRAMMY hopefuls.

Baritone Sidney Outlaw '04 is a featured artist on "L'Orestie d'Eschyle," a finalist for Best Opera Recording. This first-ever recording of Darius Milhaud's 1922 opera trilogy was produced by the University Musical Society at the University of Michigan. Outlaw joined the Metropolitan Opera roster last year as an understudy for Mamoud in John Adams' "The Death of Klinghoffer."

Tenor David Blalock '09 is a featured soloist on "The Sacred Spirit Of Russia". The album is one of five finalists for Best Choral Performance. Blalock was the 2013-2014 Virginia Opera Emerging Artist and will return to North Carolina to sing Don Ottavio in North Carolina Opera's production of "Don Giovanni".

Watch the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards live Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015, beginning at 8 p.m. EST on CBS. 

The UNCG School of Music, Theatre and Dance is the largest and most comprehensive collegiate performing arts program in the state and one of the largest in the southeast and the country. It presents about 350 open events each year and the public is invited to witness the wealth of talent that exists here.

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a challenging, supportive and engaged community where learning is carried forward to Do something bigger altogether. Founded in 1891, UNCG is the largest and most diverse university in the Triad, serving more than 18,000 students. Standing apart from other universities, the UNCG community is joined together by a shared value: We define excellence not only by the people we attract, but by the meaningful contributions they make.

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SOURCE The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

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