Neil Portnow News

The GRAMMY Foundation will host 'Play It Forward: A Celebration Of Music's Evolution And Influencers' - the 15th Annual GRAMMY Foundation Music Preservation Project - featuring live musical performances and archival footage from its preservation archives. Performers include GRAMMY winners Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris, and LeAnn Rimes; current GRAMMY nominee Ed Sheeran; Mike Einziger of Incubus, singer/songwriter Lianne La Havas, violinist Ann Marie Simpson, and George Thorogood and the Destroyers, as well as other artists to be announced shortly. The evening's musical director will be Darrell Brown, songwriter/producer, Recording Academy Trustee, and GRAMMY Foundation Board member. Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation, will be in attendance, along with other prominent music industry leaders and members of The Recording Academy.

Multi-Latin Grammy and Grammy winner Juanes will perform with education program students at GRAMMY IN THE SCHOOLS LIVE! on February 6, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Southern California, Grand Ballroom, 3607 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, Calif.

According to published reports, singer Patti Page Passed away yesterday in Encinitas, California. She was 85 years old. The Recording Academy's President/CEO Neil Portnow released the following statement.

Alabama Shakes, Jackson Browne, Kenny Chesney, Ben Harper, Emmylou Harris, Faith Hill, Jim James, Elton John, Juanes, John Legend, Natalie Maines, Tim McGraw, Tom Morello, Mumford & Sons, Patti Smith, Mavis Staples, Sting, Eddie Vedder, and Neil Young will perform at the tribute concert in honor of 2013 MusiCares Person of the Year Bruce Springsteen. The sold-out gala will take place Feb. 8, 2013, two days prior to the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Additional performers will be announced shortly.

The GRAMMY Foundation will host 'Play It Forward: A Celebration Of Music's Evolution And Influencers' - the 15th Annual GRAMMY Foundation Music Preservation Project - featuring live musical performances and archival footage from its preservation archives. Performers include GRAMMY winners Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris; current GRAMMY nominee Ed Sheeran; and singer/songwriter Lianne La Havas, as well as other artists to be announced shortly. The evening's musical director will be Darrell Brown, songwriter/producer, Recording Academy Trustee, and GRAMMY Foundation Board member. Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation, will be in attendance, along with other prominent music industry leaders and members of The Recording Academy.

Clive Davis and The Recording Academy will present the annual Pre-GRAMMY Gala on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif., the evening before the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards (www.grammy.com). Sponsored by Harman, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Hyundai, and MasterCard Worldwide, this exclusive, star-studded celebration will feature special musical performances and will be attended by the world's most renowned artists and top industry VIPs in music, film, television and new media. For updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/thegrammys, www.facebook.com/thegrammys.

The Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing will celebrate its sixth annual GRAMMY Week event titled 'An Evening of Jazz' honoring 27-time GRAMMY winner and multi-talented music producer Quincy Jones and 18-time GRAMMY-winning producer/engineer Al Schmitt for their commitment to excellence and ongoing support for the art and craft of recorded music. The event will be held onWednesday, Feb. 6, 2013, at The Village Studios in West Los Angeles. GRAMMY Week culminates with the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, airing live on the CBS Television Network, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. For updates and breaking news, please visitwww.grammy.com, and The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook:www.twitter.com/thegrammys, www.facebook.com/thegrammys.

Clive Davis and The Recording Academy will present the annual Pre-GRAMMY Gala on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif., the evening before the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards (www.grammy.com). Sponsored by Harman, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Hyundai, and MasterCard Worldwide, this exclusive, star-studded celebration will feature special musical performances and will be attended by the world's most renowned artists and top industry VIPs in music, film, television and new media.

The GRAMMY Foundation (www.grammyintheschools.com) announced today that 32 talented high school students from across the United States have been selected for positions in the 2013 GRAMMY Camp - Jazz Session (formerly known as GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles). Their selection launches them into the spotlight surrounding the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards, and provides them with unparalleled opportunities to perform in front of some of music's biggest names. The students, representing 31 cities and 15 states, will travel to Los Angeles for a weeklong musical adventure under the direction of Justin DiCioccio of the Manhattan School of Music, Dr. Ron McCurdy of the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music and Dr. Leila Heil of the University of Colorado, Boulder. This year, two members will comprise the GRAMMY in the Schools Media Team, and they will document the GRAMMY Week experience for a range of the GRAMMY Foundation's social media platforms. Many past members of the GRAMMY Camp - Jazz Session program go on to enjoy thriving performance careers, including singer/pianist Peter Cincotti (2001), two-time GRAMMY-nominated jazz pianist Gerald Clayton (2002), New York Philharmonic bassist David Grossman (1995), GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Brandon Heath (1994), saxophonist Grace Kelly (2008), and pianist Aaron Parks (2000).

The Recording Academy(www.grammy.com) announced its Special Merit Awards recipients today, and this year's honorees are: Glenn Gould, Charlie Haden, Lightnin' Hopkins, Carole King, Patti Page,Ravi Shankar and the Temptations as Lifetime Achievement Award recipients; Marilyn & Alan Bergman, Leonard & Phil Chess and Alan Livingston as Trustees Award honorees; and Ikutaro Kakehashi & Dave Smith and Royer Labs as Technical GRAMMY Awardrecipients. A special invitation-only ceremony will be held during GRAMMY Week on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, and a formal acknowledgment will be made during the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards telecast, which will be held at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles onSunday, Feb. 10, 2013, and broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network. For breaking news and exclusive content, join the organization's social networks as a Twitter follower at www.twitter.com/thegrammys, a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/thegrammys, and a YouTube channel subscriber at www.youtube.com/thegrammys.

The Recording Academy (www.grammy.com) announced its Special Merit Awards recipients today, and this year's honorees are: Glenn Gould, Charlie Haden, Lightnin' Hopkins, Carole King, Patti Page, Ravi Shankar andthe Temptations as Lifetime Achievement Award recipients

The Recording Academy's President/CEO Neil Portnow has released the following statement on the passing of Jules Chaikin.

The GRAMMY Foundation® (www.grammyfoundation.org) today announced that 129 schools nationwide have been selected as GRAMMY® Signature Schools semifinalists (www.grammyintheschools.com) for 2013. Created in 1998, the GRAMMY Signature Schools program recognizes top U.S. public high schools that are making an outstanding commitment to music education during an academic school year.

The Recording Academy®'s GRAMMY Recordings® and Capitol Records have teamed to release the 2013 GRAMMY® Nominees album, which will be available Jan. 22, 2013, in stores and via digital retailers.

The Recording Academy® has announced the selection of artist Erika Iris Simmons to create the official artwork for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards®. The work depicts the iconic GRAMMY® image composed with half-inch studio recording tape, a true celebration of recording excellence. It will be used as the official artwork for the world's premier music event and will grace the cover of the GRAMMY Awards program book, telecast tickets and promotional poster. The 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held Feb. 10, 2013, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast live on the CBS Television Network at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).

Deborah Raffin, a film and television actress who later became an audiobook publisher, has passed away after a battle with leukemia on Wednesday. She was 59 years old. The Recording Academy's President/CEO Neil Portnow today released this statement on her passing.

Continuing the tradition of preserving and celebrating great recordings,The Recording Academy(®) announces the newest additions to its legendary GRAMMY Hall Of Fame(® )collection.

Recording artist Elliott Carter passed away on Monday, November 5 at age 103. The Recording Academy has issued a statement regarding the two-time Pulitzer Prize winner.