Students and faculty from Middle Tennessee State University again traveled to Southern California for the music industry’s biggest weekend, celebrating former students whose work has been nominated in the 68th Grammy Awards, presented Sunday, Feb. 1.
President Sidney A. McPhee, Provost Mark Byrnes and Beverly Keel, dean of the Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment, joined six students, as well as faculty members, as they visited recording industry firms and went behind the scenes at studios before attending the Grammy ceremonies. The university has held events at the Grammys since 2014.
Pictured, from left, are students Anna Shinholster, Colman Connolly and Gabriela Diaz;
President Sydney McPhee; students Jenene Grover, Emily Eastep and Chandler Furr.
MTSU photo by Andrew Oppmann
The six media and entertainment students selected to represent the college on this year’s trip arrived in California on Wednesday, Jan. 28, and include:
Colman Connolly, a senior majoring in audio production and data science
Gabriela Diaz, a senior majoring in audio production
Emily Eastap, a senior majoring in music business
Chandler Furr, a graduate student majoring in recording arts and technologies
Jenene Grover, a senior majoring in journalism
Anna Shinholster, a senior majoring in commercial songwriting
In addition to visits to music locales in Los Angeles, students went behind the scenes at the Crypto.com Arena to get insight into the staging of the telecast, and attended the ceremony itself. On Friday, Jan. 30, they volunteered at the Person of the Year event hosted by MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s charitable entity, honoring multi-Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Mariah Carey.
“Bringing students to Los Angeles to participate in Grammy Week, including attending the Grammy Awards, has become a nationally known signature event of MTSU,” Keel said. “Our mission is to bring our students to where the action is, so that they can learn from industry leaders, meet successful alumni and begin making their own career connections.”
Six MTSU-trained professionals contributed to Grammy-nominated projects up for 2026 honors, including former student Lecrae Devaughn Moore, known professionally as Lecrae and nominated this year for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for “Headphones” (featuring Killer Mike and T.I.) and Best Contemporary Christian Music Album, for his Reconstruction release.
While not listed on the nomination, several other MTSU alums worked on Grammy-nominated projects, including:
Audio production engineers Jimmy Hall (Class of 2000) and Jason Mansfield (Class of 2014), who worked on Molly Tuttle’s So Long Little Miss Sunshine, nominated for Best Americana Album. Hall is also a credited engineer on country artist Lainey Wilson’s Whirlwind (Deluxe) album, which includes “Somewhere Over Laredo,” up for Best Country Song.
Brandon Bell (Class of 2004) is credited as an engineer on Billy Strings’ Highway Prayers album, nominated for Best Bluegrass Album.
Tony Castle (Class of 1995) recorded and mixed Willie Nelson’s Grammy-nominated release, Oh, What a Beautiful World, nominated for Best Traditional Country Album.
Former student Shannon Finnegan worked as project coordinator on two of Willie Nelson’s Grammy-nominated projects this year: Last Leaf on the Tree, nominated for Best Americana Album, and Oh, What a Beautiful World, nominated for Best Traditional Country Album.
MTSU held its annual pre-Grammy gathering for nominees and Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment college alumni at the Godfrey Hotel in Hollywood on Saturday, Jan. 31. The MTSU Alumni Association also hosted an event at the Santa Monica Brew Works for alums from all of its academic colleges on Friday, Jan. 30.
MTSU alums, former or current students, and faculty from across the university have been a part of almost 180 Grammy Award nominations in the last two decades.
Watch the Grammy ceremony on CBS and Paramount+ at 7 p.m. (Central) on Sunday, Feb. 1.
