{"688432":{"#nid":"688432","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Boykin Compositions Featured on Two Grammy-Nominated Albums","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBrittney Boykin, assistant professor and Director of Choral Activities at Georgia Tech, has earned national recognition with compositions featured on two Grammy-nominated albums. The projects, \u003Cem\u003EBlack Pierrot\u003C\/em\u003E with Sidney Outlaw and Warren Jones, and \u003Cem\u003EIn This Short Life\u003C\/em\u003E with Devony Smith and Danny Zelibor, are nominated for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album at the 2026 Grammy Awards.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBoykin describes composition as something that grew from passion rather than long-term planning. What began as a hobby has evolved into work recognized on a national stage.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn \u003Cem\u003EIn This Short Life\u003C\/em\u003E, soprano Devony Smith performs three selections from Boykin\u2019s larger 14-song cycle, \u003Cem\u003EMoments in Sonder\u003C\/em\u003E, set to poetry by Maya Angelou. The cycle reflects on shared human experiences, exploring themes of time, connection, aging, and emotional growth.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe album \u003Cem\u003EBlack Pierrot\u003C\/em\u003E includes Boykin\u2019s seven-song cycle, \u003Cem\u003E26 Ways of Looking at a Black Man\u003C\/em\u003E, originally commissioned through a collaboration involving Merola Opera in San Francisco. The work draws from 26 poems by Harlem Renaissance poet Raymond Patterson, distilled into seven thematic pieces centered on spirituality, vulnerability, love, and emotional complexity within the Black male experience. The album also features a 1945 song cycle by William Grant Still, creating a cross-generational dialogue within the classical tradition.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeyond her professional achievements, Boykin remains deeply committed to her students at Georgia Tech. She highlights the unique makeup of the university\u2019s choirs, which include students majoring in fields such as engineering and biology rather than performance. By emphasizing creativity within a STEM-focused environment, Boykin sees music as part of Georgia Tech\u2019s broader mission to improve the human condition.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to her Grammy-nominated work, Boykin has held a residency with Minnesota Opera, received a commission from Finger Lakes Opera for its first opera, and completed two commissions at The Kennedy Center. Through both composition and teaching, she continues to expand the reach of classical music while mentoring the next generation of creative thinkers.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech music professor Brittney Boykin\u2019s passion for composition earns national recognition in the Best Classical Solo Vocal Album category."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETwo albums nominated for the 2026 Grammy Awards for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album include compositions by Brittney Boykin, assistant professor and Director of Choral Activities in Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Music. The albums, \u003Cem\u003EBlack Pierrot\u003C\/em\u003E and \u003Cem\u003EIn This Short Life\u003C\/em\u003E, showcase Boykin\u2019s song cycles inspired by Black poets and the human experience. Though composition began as a personal passion, Boykin\u2019s work now stands alongside major voices in classical music while continuing to influence students at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech professor Brittney Boykin has compositions featured on two albums nominated for the 2026 Grammy Awards."}],"uid":"36800","created_gmt":"2026-02-20 16:28:43","changed_gmt":"2026-02-20 16:32:58","author":"gmenghisteab6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-11-26T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-11-26T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679379":{"id":"679379","type":"image","title":"feature.tall_.BoykinHeadshot2024.jpg","body":null,"created":"1771604928","gmt_created":"2026-02-20 16:28:48","changed":"1771604928","gmt_changed":"2026-02-20 16:28:48","alt":"Boykin","file":{"fid":"263531","name":"feature.tall_.BoykinHeadshot2024.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/20\/feature.tall_.BoykinHeadshot2024.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/20\/feature.tall_.BoykinHeadshot2024.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":430915,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/02\/20\/feature.tall_.BoykinHeadshot2024.jpg?itok=eI-kyrKB"}}},"media_ids":["679379"],"groups":[{"id":"660380","name":"GT Arts"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"185855","name":"GT arts"},{"id":"183499","name":"georgia tech arts"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}