Columbia Standard

A College of Charleston music director has been nominated for the Grammy's Best Classical Solo Vocal Album category.

Director of Piano Studies and Artistic Director for the CofC International Piano Series Paul Sánchez's collaborative album "Dreams of a New Day" with operatic baritone Will Liverman hit No. 1 on the Billboard Traditional Classical Albums chart last February, according to a college press release.

“This Grammy nomination is a huge honor, and it’s an amazing and humbling affirmation that my rather maverick focus on important-but-underrepresented music – and this project with my friend Will Liverman, in particular – have made a positive and meaningful impact in the world,” Sánchez said in the release.

The project was launched in March of 2019 with plans to begin recording by March 2020, but the pandemic caused those plans to be delayed and Cedille Records pushed recording plans back to July. 

Liverman and Sánchez actually found themselves recording "Dreams of a New Day" during nationwide protests for racial justice. 

According to Liverman, the record features American songs by black composers both past and present. 

“He selected music for our album that was personally meaningful to him, and we are so honored that our recorded performances of those powerful works have proven to connect deeply with listeners,” Liverman said in press release. “Music by Black composers is underrepresented in recordings and in live performance, and it’s music that should be heard.”

The album will premiere live April 19 in the CofC’s Sottile Theatre.

“Making music more accessible, sharing it with underserved communities and recording and performing underrepresented works by composers outside of the Western art music canon has been my passion throughout my career,” Sánchez said in the release.