Regardless of how you feel about the Grammy Awards, you might have tuned in for at least a portion of the day’s festivities. There’s something electric about seeing some of the biggest artists in the world coming together to celebrate music itself, not to mention the stunning performances. It’s already exciting to view at home, despite the commercial breaks, but it’s even more incredible if you get to be one of the lucky few who attend the ceremonies in person. Eastman Vocal Jazz first-year Harrison Candelario is one such person.
Candelario seemed like he was still riding the high from the ceremony when he sat down to talk to me, the day after he returned. For an aspiring vocalist like Candelario, experiences like the Grammy Awards are not only captivating as an onlooker, but a taste of what may be to come in his career. “It’s a difficult industry to break into,” Candelario said. “It’s great to […] go to Eastman and have a school that is so accredited, especially because I want to teach in the future.”
The prestige that comes with an Eastman education has helped Candelario snag a spot in Grammy U, a nationwide networking organization affiliated with the Recording Academy (the company that runs the Grammys). “It’s like, this is not my life right now,” he said. “I felt like I committed to a school […] and went to the Grammys less than a year later.”
According to Candelario, who attended the Grammys with his mother, one of the biggest takeaways was how surreal it was to be up close and personal with major celebrities. When his mother dropped her phone, Kirstin Maldonado of famous a cappella group Pentatonix picked it up. He saw musical influences from various music genres perform live — all under one roof. “[I] never thought I would ever see Stevie Wonder perform live or Herbie Hancock […] It was incredible,” he said. Performances that stood out to Candelario included a mournful Quincy Jones tribute, which also included a performance from Cynthia Erivo, who recently starred in last year’s “Wicked,” as well as British R&B star Raye and Eastman alum and American soprano Renée Fleming (MM ’83).
Candelario mentioned several times that the existence of the ceremony at all this year was tenuous due to the recent Los Angeles wildfires causing devastation to the region. “A lot of people this year were scared of going because of the fires and it was very much up in the air until probably like a week and a half ago,” he said, his tone shifting from excited to serious. “[Because of the fires] this year was very much guesswork on their end.”
Luckily for Candelario, the Recording Academy was still able to cover much of his fees with various stipends due to his status as a Grammy U participant. On a more positive note, he mentioned how the fires were a big focus of the ceremony, and that, while it did add a more subdued and reflective tone to the normally joyous and exciting event, the emphasis on awareness was important.
“It wasn’t as focused on […] big show-stopping numbers, [although those] were there. But then it was like, we’re also going to make the show-stopping number intimate and make it feel as though it’s part of something greater and that you should donate because of that. So they were really successful in doing that.”
Candelario also gave praise to his Eastman professor Sara Gazarek, who is a trustee and voter for the Recording Academy for jazz. Additionally, Gazarek’s vocal quartet, säje, won a Grammy Award this season for Best Arrangement, Instrumental, and Vocals.
“She knows so much about […] technical principles and is such a good person and cares about all of her students in a personal way, but also from an academic standpoint and a career standpoint,” he said. “It’s good to have a connection with a mentor that means so much.”
Aside from networking and study work he’s doing in the music realm, Candelario is actually working on his own EP, which he plans to release updates about through his Instagram or on his personal website.
Going forward, Candelario is eager to move further into the music industry, pursue a career as a musician and educator, and — ideally — head back to the Grammys one day. When asked if this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for him, he grinned. “Maybe not. Let’s hope it’s not. I pray it’s not.”
