What an honor it is to be in such great company in consideration for this award. The level of quality and range of diversity in the music of my peers is inspiring.

—  Mak Grgić, Classical Guitarist and Assistant Professor Music, USC School of Music

University of South Carolina Assistant Professor of Guitar Mak Grgić has been nominated for a 2025 GRAMMY Award in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category. Renowned USC alumnus Andy Akiho (BM’01) has also been nominated in the same category, giving the USC School of Music two nominees in the same category.

Assistant Professor of Cello Claire Bryant’s artist-led collective, Decoda, was recognized in the Best Contemporary Classical Composition category for Valerie Coleman’s piece “Revelry” on their debut record, DECODA. 

Considered the music industry’s highest honor, the GRAMMY is the only music award in which nominees and winners are determined solely by creators themselves: the peers of those being judged. Typically around 20,000 entries are submitted each year.

Grgić earned a nomination for his classical guitar performance of “Entourer.” The album features two talented Slovenian composers Grgić has worked with for many years.

“It's a privilege to bring their voices to life again. Showcasing music by Leon First and Nina Senk, one folksy/ethnic and the other one quite avantgarde, has been perhaps the most fun I have had in a while. Leon's work is an adaptation of a Balkan Suite of Dances, which exists in a solo form as well, while Nina's piece was written for JACK Quartet and me some time ago,” says Grgić.

Klemen Hvala and the Ensemble Dissonance also contributed to the album.

This marks Grgić's third GRAMMY nomination in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category. He was nominated in 2021 for his “Mak|Bach” recording and in 2022 for “A Night in Upper Town: The Music of Zoran Krajacic.”

Andy Akiho is no stranger to being acknowledged by this prestigious peer-recognized award. He is the only composer nominated for a GRAMMY in the Best Contemporary Classical Composition category in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Bryant, co-Founder and co-artistic director of Decoda, says what’s especially exciting about the nomination is the work is from Decoda's debut album, DECODA, released last spring on Bright Shiny Things.

“Carnegie Hall helped us commission this incredible work by Valerie Coleman. Our first album, DECODA, showcases our flexibility, versatility and sense of play,” says Bryant.

Performed by an all-star cast of virtuoso chamber musicians, composer-performers, and soloists, DECODA marks a decade of the ensemble’s eclectic and impactful chamber music experiences.

Winners will be announced on Sunday, February 2, 2025.