CCM talent featured on several Grammy Award-nominated albums

UC College-Conservatory of Music Prep alumnus  Jonathan Miron won a 2026 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.

Miron and his duo partner Philipp Sheegog, performing as the ARKAI electroacoustic duo, won the award for latest album "Brightside." An alumnus of CCM's Starling Prep Program, Miron studied at CCM for six years beginning at the age of 9. His family relocated from Singapore to Cincinnati so he could study violin with Kurt Sassmannshaus, Professor of Violin and the Dorothy Richard Starling Chair in Classical Violin at CCM. 

"He quickly distinguished himself as an extraordinary young artist, combining technical mastery with rare musical imagination," Sassmannshaus said. "Since his early years at CCM, Miron has gone on to become one of the most innovative and compelling violin virtuosos of his generation, widely admired for forging new artistic paths and redefining the role of the violin in contemporary classical music."

In addition to Miron, five CCM alumni are among the nominees named in the 2026 Grammy Awards. Presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, the 68th Annual Grammy Award ceremony took place on Sunday, Feb. 1 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Represented across five categories, the Bearcats specifically named in the Grammy's published list of nominees include CCM Starling Prep alumnus Jonathan Miron, and CCM alumni Michele Pawk (BFA Musical Theatre, '85), Ryan Nasci (BFA E-Media, '12), Donald Nally (BM Music Education ‘82), Simon Barrad (MM Voice, '15) and Shawn E. Okpebholo (DMA Composition, '07).

In addition to the five Bearcats specifically named in Grammy's list of nominees, an additional five CCM alumni worked on Grammy nominated recordings as detailed below.

Former CCM Starling Prep student Jonathan Miron and his duo partner Philipp Sheegog, the ARKAI electroacoustic duo, won a Grammy Award for their latest album "Brightside." Miron studied with Kurt Sassmannshaus, Professor of Violin and Dorothy Richard Starling Chair in Classical Violin, in CCM's Starling Prep String Project program from fall 2001 through summer 2006. 

CCM Musical Theatre alumna Michele Pawk is listed among the principal vocalists nominated in the original Broadway cast recording of Just In Time. She is nominated along with principal vocalists Emily Bergl, Jonathan Groff, Erika Henningsen and Gracie Lawrence; producers Derik Lee, Andrew Resnick and Bill Sherman; and composer and lyricist Bobby Darin. Alumna Christine Cornish (BFA Musical Theatre, '13) was also in the original Broadway cast of the musical.

Bright Shiny Things, a record label founded by CCM alumnus Louis Levitt (BM Double Bass '01, AD Double Bass '05) produced the nominated recording of Kouyoumdjian: Adoration.

Multiple CCM alumni worked on the nominated recording of the Metropolitan Opera's production of Tesori: Grounded, including Thomas Capbianoco (MM Voice, '16) as Ground Control, Christopher Bozeka (MM Voice, '15) as Mission Coordinator, and Marcus Shields (MM Voice, '15; AD Opera, '17), assistant stage director.

CCM Electronic Media (now known as Media Production) alumnus Ryan Nasci was nominated for his work as an engineer on Cam's All Things Light album. The nomination also included Jesse Brock, Jon Castelli, Matt Chamberlain, Tyler Johnson, Nick Lobel, Simon Maartensson, Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell, Rob Moose, Anders Mouridsen, Ernesto Olvera-LaPier, Ethan Schneiderman, Rahm Silverglade and Owen Stoutt, engineers; Dale Becker, mastering engineer (Cam).

CCM Voice alumnus Simon Barrad is featured in the nominated recording of Advena - Liturgies For A Broken World. Craig Hella Johnson, conductor; and vocalists Emily Yocum Black, Michael Hawes and the Conspirare choir were also named in the nomination. 

CCM Music Education alumnus Donald Nally is nominated for the recording of Lang: Poor Hymnal, which features his professional chamber choir known as The Crossing. Nally conducted the performance and vocalists Steven Bradshaw, Michael Hawes, Lauren Kelly, Rebecca Siler and Elisa Sutherland were also named in the nomination.

CCM Composition alumnus Shawn E. Okpebholo is nominated for his composition Song In Flight, which also features Will Liverman, Paul Sánchez and various artists.

Notice an omission in our round up of the 68th Grammy Award nominees? Please send any omissions to ccmpr@uc.edu and we will update our coverage!

Featured image at top: Grammy Award trophies are seen in the press room during the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. Photo/Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images