Shepherd School alumni receive Grammy nominations

Three alumni of Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music received 2016 Grammy Award nominations in various categories, either as individuals or as part of an ensemble. The nominations were announced Dec. 5 in Los Angeles.

Blanton Alspaugh ’87 was nominated for producer of the year, classical. Alspaugh won the same award at the 2013 Grammy Awards. He received his Master of Music degree from the Shepherd School.

Caroline Shaw ’04 and fellow members of the ensemble “Roomful of Teeth” were nominated in the chamber music/small ensemble performance category for their song “Render.” Shaw and “Roomful of Teeth” won the same award at the 2014 Grammy Awards. Shaw also received the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in music for her composition “Partita for Eight Voices.” She received a Bachelor of Music degree from Rice and also received a master’s degree from Yale University and a Ph.D. in composition from Princeton.

Lauren Snouffer ’09 and fellow members of the Austin-based vocal ensemble “Conspirare” were nominated in the choral performance category for their album “Pablo Neruda — The Poet Sings.” Snouffer received her Bachelor of Music degree from Rice and a master’s degree from The Juilliard School and is an alumna of the Houston Grand Opera studio.

The winners will be announced at the 58th annual Grammy Awards ceremony Feb. 15. For more information on nominees, visit www.grammy.com.

For more information on the Shepherd School, visit http://music.rice.edu/.