Berklee Alumni Recognized at the 2026 Grammy Awards

Berklee alumni continued their tradition of success at the Grammys, earning awards across a diverse array of projects and categories at the 68th annual ceremony held Sunday, February 1, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

For the second consecutive year, Amy Allen ’15 won Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical, for cowriting all 13 tracks on Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend, as well as hits for ROSÉ, Bruno Mars, Shaboozey, Jessie Murph, and others. Laufey BM ’21 captured her second Grammy for A Matter of Time, which won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Carla Patullo BM ’01 MM ’13 won her second Grammy in the Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album category for Nomadica. Saxophonist Yainer Horta ’02 won in the Best Latin Jazz Album category for performing on A Tribute to Benny Moré and Nat King Cole.

Additional winners included Charlie Rosen ’12, who earned his third Grammy for his arrangement of the 8-Bit Big Band’s “Super Mario Praise Break” (Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella); Donald Philip PD ’21, for producing Arkai's Brightside (Best Contemporary Instrumental Album); Erin Bentlage ’14, for her arrangement of Nate Smith’s “Big Fish” (Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals); Kevin Camp ’07, for producing Coritos Vol. 1 by Israel & New Breed (Best Contemporary Christian Music Album); and Akihiro Nishimura BM ’05 and Berklee NYC staff member Matthew Soares for their work as recording engineers on I Will Not Be Moved (Live) by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir (Best Roots Gospel Album).

Alumni also contributed to Sinners, which won Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Includes Film and Television): Gernot Wolfgang PD ’89 (orchestrator), Jakov Naumoski BM ’24 (score mix technician), Greg Jamrok ’89 (music preparation), and Felipe Pacheco BM ’15 (music editor). Jonathan Asperil ’15 contributed as a producer to Album of the Year winner Debí Tirar Más Fotos by Bad Bunny and Durand Bernarr’s Bloom, which won for Best Progressive R&B Album. Jannick Frampton BM ’21 contributed to A Matter of Time as an assistant mix engineer, and David Spreng PD ’97 mixed Preacher Kids by Robert Randolph, which won for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Cheche Alara BM ’94 served as the music producer and music director for the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony for the tenth consecutive year.

Watch Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Yainer Horta, and Joey Calveiro's acceptance speech after winning the Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album:

Overall, alumni won 10 Grammy Awards across nine categories. The list below is subject to change as winners are verified with the Recording Academy.

Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical

Amy Allen ’15

• “APT.” (ROSÉ and Bruno Mars)
• “Bad as the Rest” (Jessie Murph)
• “Hail Mary” (Shaboozey, Sierra Ferrell)
• “Handlebars” (JENNIE feat. Dua Lipa)
• “Just Keep Watching” (Tate McRae)
• “Lost in Translation” (Carín León and Kasey Musgraves)
• “Manchild” (Sabrina Carpenter)
• “Tears” (Sabrina Carpenter)
• “WHY” (Jon Bellion feat. Luke Combs)

Best Latin Jazz Album

A Tribute to Benny Moré and Nat King Cole, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Yainer Horta, and Joey Calveiro

• Yainer Horta ’02, saxophone

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

A Matter of Time, Laufey

• Laufey BM ’21, artist
• Jannick Frampton BM ’21, assistant mix engineer

Album of the Year

Debí Tirar Más Fotos, Bad Bunny

• Jonathan Asperil ’15, producer

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Brightside, Arkai

• Donald Philp PD ’21, producer

Best Contemporary Blues Album

Preacher Kids, Robert Randolph

• David Spreng PD ’97, mixer

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album

Coritos Vol. 1, Israel & New Breed

• Kevin Camp ’07, producer

Best Roots Gospel Album

I Will Not Be Moved (Live), Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

• Akihiro Nishimura BM ’05, recording engineer
• Matthew Soares, recording engineer (Berklee NYC staff)

Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album

Nomadica, Carla Patullo

• Carla Patullo BM ’01 MM ’13, artist

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Includes Film and Television)

Sinners

• Gernot Wolfgang PD ’89, orchestrator
• Jakov Naumoski BM ’24, score mix technician
• Greg Jamrok ’89, music preparation
• Felipe Pacheco BM ’15, music editor

Best Progressive R&B Album

Bloom, Durand Bernarr

• Jonathan Asperil ’15, producer

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella

“Super Mario Praise Break,” The 8-Bit Big Band

• Charlie Rosen ’12, arranger

Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals

“Big Fish,” Nate Smith

• Erin Bentlage BM ’14, arranger