Berklee Valencia Alumni Receive 2026 Grammy Awards Nominations
Carla Patullo M.M. ’13 gives her acceptance speech with the Scorchio Quartet and Tonality at the 2024 Grammy Awards after winning in the Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album category for her album So She Howls.
Image courtesy of Carla Patullo
The Recording Academy of the United States recently announced the nominees for the 2026 Grammy Awards, one of the most prestigious honors in the music industry. The ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 1, 2026.
Among this year’s nominees are four Berklee Valencia alumni—all graduates from the scoring for film, television, and video games program: David Federman MM ’14, Zuzana Michlerová MM ’15, Carla Patullo MM ’13, and Jared Smith MM ’21. These nominations highlight the campus’s global presence in the field of screen scoring and media composition.
Scoring Excellence
Berklee Valencia 2026 Grammy Awards Nominees: David Federman MM ’14,& & Zuzana Michlerová MM ’15, Carla Patullo MM ’13, and Jared Smith MM ’21
For Lucio Godoy, director of the scoring for film, television, and video games program, “These nominations showcase the international reach and creative excellence of Berklee Valencia’s scoring community.”
During the program, students hone the art and craft of storytelling—composing, orchestrating, editing, and producing music for the screen using the latest technology. They gain experience leading live recording sessions with professional session musicians and international orchestras, while mastering how to navigate the real-world challenges of creative production.
Canadian composer and conductor David Federman MM ’14 and Czech composer, arranger, and singer Zuzana Michlerová MM ’15 served as orchestrators on Ubisoft's Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora–Secrets of the Spires, which has been nominated for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media.
After receiving a Grammy Award in 2024 for her album So She Howls, Carla Patullo MM '13 earned another nomination this year in the Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album category for her new release Nomadica, inspired by her journey through loss, grief, and healing following her mother’s passing.
Jared Smith MM '21 was recognized for his work as a composer assistant on The Wild Robot, a DreamWorks animated feature nominated in the Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media category. Written and directed by Chris Sanders, the film tells the story of a shipwrecked robot who will have to survive on a remote island by forming bonds with the local wildlife and caring for an orphaned gosling. It features the voices of Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Mark Hamill, and Catherine O’Hara, among others.
A Legacy of Achievement
With more than 300 Grammy Awards earned by Berklee alumni to date, the 2026 nominations continue to highlight the institution’s long-standing excellence and the ways Berklee-trained talent continues to help shape the sound and direction of contemporary music worldwide.
For the Berklee Valencia community, this year’s nominations reaffirm the talent, creativity, and professionalism of its alumni, who go on to build meaningful global careers and become respected artists, innovators, and leaders across today’s music and entertainment industries.