Albright’s David Cullen Captures Two Grammy Awards

In the last two years, members of Albright’s faculty have received three Grammy nominations and won two Grammy Awards.

This year, David Cullen won two Grammy Awards for his guitar recordings on two albums. Cullen recorded “Days of Wine and Roses” for Pink Guitar: Henry Mancini, a Mancini tribute album that won the Grammy for best pop instrumental album. He also provided guitar accompaniment on Will Ackerman’s Returning, which won the Grammy for best New Age album.

The 47th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13. Cullen’s awards were announced at a smaller ceremony held before the broadcast. Playing a show in Philadelphia with friends that night, Cullen did not find out about his wins until returning home that evening, when his wife, Jill, notified him he was a Grammy winner.

“I was very happy for my guitar label, Solid Air Records, and the other 10 guitarists I share the award with for Pink Guitar,” Cullen said. He also had a great sense of joy for the recognition received by Ackerman, who Cullen said “basically started the New Age genre for guitar and is now being recognized after 30 years.”

Cullen is the founder of Solid Air Records and has recorded nine albums under the label.

Last year, Jeffrey Lentz ’85 was nominated in the category for Best Opera Recording for Ed Thomas’ Desire Under the Elms. Awards were presented at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards on February 8, 2004. Although he didn't win (Janacek's Jenufa claimed the statue), Lentz said he was honored to have been nominated. “Every recording artist dreams of the day they will be nominated by the Recording Academy for a Grammy, but seldom does one think that they are actually going to be nominated. So, when I was told about my nomination, I didn't believe it; especially since the actual recording process for this recording was like a comedy of errors.” Last year, Lentz also made his professional directing debut at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, Calif., in Opera Pacific's production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide. In addition, he recorded and performed Michael Torky’s Central Park: Strawberry Fields with the Albany Symphony.

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