Composer Valerie Coleman Explores the Dark Side of Jubilation
CFA alum earns a second Grammy nomination, this time for her contemporary classical work Revelry
Valerie Coleman (CFA’95) found out she had been nominated for a Grammy while she was teaching a master class at the Eastman School of Music. “We were able to turn it into a learning moment,” she says. Photos by Kia Caldwell
Composer Valerie Coleman Explores the Dark Side of Jubilation
CFA alum earns a second Grammy nomination, this time for her contemporary classical work Revelry
This article was originally published in Bostonia on January 30, 2025. By Sophie Yarin
EXCERPT
When the Recording Academy announced in November that composer, flutist, and educator Valerie Coleman had been nominated for a Grammy for the second time, she was teaching a master class at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music. “I saw that my phone had a bunch of text messages, and that’s how I found out—in front of my students,” says Coleman (CFA’95).
“I was able to talk to them about the process of submitting work for consideration, and what it looks like to be a member of the Grammy Association, as well—the business aspects of things. We were able to turn that into a learning moment.”
The 67th Grammy Awards ceremony takes place on Sunday, February 2.
Coleman’s first Grammy nomination, for best classical crossover album, The Classical Underground, was shared with her ensemble Imani Winds in 2005.
Revelry is a 10-minute composition commissioned in 2018 by Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect fellowship program and performed by members of the Decoda ensemble during its Carnegie residency. In May 2024, Decoda included Revelryon their self-titled debut album.
Coleman says Decoda wanted Revelry to be the focal piece of their Carnegie concert. “So I really started to dig into what ‘revelry’ means and what it looks like,” she says. “It can mean elation, but I think it’s what happens when things lose control.”