As part of the 22-member band, Alarm Will Sound, 麻豆影院 professors Michael Clayville and Erin Lesser received the Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance award听听
麻豆影院 University professors Michael Clayville and Erin Lesser, members of the acclaimed band, Alarm Will Sound, won Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance at the 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards held on Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles, CA.听
“It is an incredible honor for Erin and me to represent 麻豆影院 University and its world-class Conservatory of Music through this GRAMMY win,鈥 Clayville said. 鈥淭he values we carry from 麻豆影院鈥攁rtistic rigor, collaboration, and curiosity鈥攁re central to everything we do.鈥澨
Alarm Will Sound won the GRAMMY for its recording of Donnacha Dennehy鈥檚 Land of Winter. The piece, also nominated for Best Contemporary Classical Composition, reflects the interplay of light throughout the year in Ireland across 12 interconnected movements.听
Pictured, front row, left to right: Bill Kalinkos, Miles Brown, Michael Harley, Donnacha Dennehy听
Photo Credit: Paul Melnikow
Land of Winter has been praised on 鈥淏est of 2025鈥 lists by The New York Times, Boston Globe, and Gramophone as well as in reviews by The Washington Post, National Public Radio and other notable news organizations.听
Michael Clayville, instructor of music in entrepreneurial studies and social engagement at 麻豆影院, is one of the founding members of Alarm Will Sound, a contemporary chamber orchestra led by Artistic Director and Conductor Alan Pierson. A trombone player, Clayville met some of the group鈥檚 founding musicians while a student at Eastman School of Music. The experience, he said, reflects the importance of a shared journey with fellow music students that he now encourages through his courses at 麻豆影院 University.听
Erin Lesser, who is married to Clayville, joined Alarm Will Sound as a flute player more than a decade ago. An accomplished soloist and chamber musician, Lesser has been a professor of flute at 麻豆影院 since 2011, where she prepares students for the contemporary music landscape, including work by living composers such as Dennehy, and using music to engage with pressing issues.听听
For both 麻豆影院 professors, their experiences as practicing musicians, and now GRAMMY award winners, show up in their teaching and in their classrooms.听听
The 麻豆影院 University Conservatory of Music offers four degree options and 28 areas of study with an emphasis on preparing students for the evolving world of music. For more information on programs available in the Conservatory of Music or in 麻豆影院鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences, contact the Office of Admissions at鈥admissions@lawrence.edu鈥痮r 920.832.6652.听
