All musicians dream of the day they will win a Grammy. For those who work in the music management side, it's all about supporting the artists you tirelessly work for and hoping that your efforts pay off. Professor Al Thrash, the music management area coordinator at Georgia State, was recently in attendance at the 2023 Grammy Award ceremony in Los Angeles, California in his role of project manager with Thirty Tigers supporting three of their grammy nominated artists:
Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album
Cimafunk - El Alimento
Best Americana Performance
Asleep at the Wheel Featuring Lyle Lovett - There You Go Again
Best Bluegrass Album
Yonder Mountain String Band - Get Yourself Outside
In addition to his project manager role with Thirty Tigers, Thrash is also a professional member of the Atlanta chapter of the recording academy, a position he's held since the year 2020.
"Attending the Grammy Awards was an awesome experience, and the energy and sheer talent in the room was amazing. Being around all the wonderful people who make the music industry thrive on a high level was inspirational and humbling to say the least. I attended numerous mixers and showcases during the week leading up to the awards. The best part was seeing friends and artists that I worked with over the years receive nominations and win Grammys," comments Thrash. Thrash is excited to bring many of these rekindled connections and new relationships back to Georgia State. "Much of the networking I was doing was for job and internship opportunities for our students as well as planting seeds for MTM Standard." MTM Standard, a student-led music distribution company funded by Rise (Research Innovation and Scholarly Excellence) from Georgia State University, will serve as an incubator for artists, creatives, and aspiring music executives looking to jumpstart their careers while still in school. The Music Industry Area is looking forward to launching its first album release this spring.
Al Thrash also had the pleasure of meeting up with Georgia State alumnus Carlos Simon, an accomplished composer and musician, whose latest composition, Requiem For The Enslaved, was nominated for a Grammy in the category of "Best Contemporary Classical Composition."
Carlos Simon, (M.Mu. Composition '10), studied composition with Dr. Nick Demos at Georgia State. Simon is the current Composer-in-Residence for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and frequently writes for the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera, with the 2022/23 season seeing premieres with Boston Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Brooklyn Art Song Society and Minnesota Orchestra – a large-scale tribute to George Floyd and the ongoing movement for racial justice.
