The 68th Grammy Awards was a spectacular showcase of the music industry’s top talent, and its impressive production value was thanks in large part to the talented creative team behind the scenes. Carnegie Mellon School of Drama alumni worked on the lighting design, art direction, screens, and animation for the ceremony, which featured nearly 20 performances and was broadcast live on CBS from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 1.
School of Drama Alumni on the Grammys creative team include:
Noah Mitz (BFA, 2005) – Lighting Designer
Will Gossett (BFA, 2015) – Lighting Director
Ryan Tanker (BFA, 2010) – Lighting Director/Programmer
Hannah Kerman (BFA, 2021) – Lighting Director
James Gallo (BFA, 2023) – Assistant Lighting Director
Kristen Merlino (BFA, 2005) – Supervising Art Director
Lex Gernon-Wyatt (MFA, 2016) – Assistant Art Director
Drew Findley (BFA, 1997) – Screens Producer
Dan Efros (MFA, 2013) – Associate Screens Producer
Kevan Loney (MFA, 2016) – Show Animator
SooA Kim (MFA, 2020) – Show Animator
Peter Kelly (BFA, 2021) – Show Animator
Sophie Chen (BFA, 2019) – Show Animator
Mitz, Gossett, Tanker, and Kerman return to the Grammys lighting team having won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Special for their work on last year’s Grammy Awards.
Merlino was also nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Production Design For A Variety Special for her work as Art Director on last year’s Grammys.
Buena Vista Social Club took home the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Its two leading ladies, Tony Award-winner Natalie Venetia Belcon (BFA, 1991) and Isa Antonetti (BFA, 2025), are both School of Drama alums, as are many of the creative team: Associate Director Moses Garcia (BFA, 2022; MAM, 2023), Associate Sound Designer Daniel Lundberg (BFA, 2014), Assistant Sound Designer Tauheedah “Tate” Abdullah (MFA, 2024), Sound Programmer Thomas Ford (BFA, 2017), Production Assistant Sidney Rubinowitz (BFA, 2023), and Producers Jamie deRoy (1967) and Heinz alumus Ankit Agrawal (MS, 2014).
The Marías perform onstage for the 68th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena. [Getty Images for The Recording Academy]
Alex Warren performs onstage during the 68th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena. [Getty Images for The Recording Academy]
Leon Thomas III and Lauryn Hill perform onstage during the 68th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena. [Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy]
Best Musical Theater Album
Buena Vista Social Club
The 2026 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album went to Buena Vista Social Club. The show features School of Drama alumni on stage and behind the scenes, including the two leading ladies, Natalie Venetia Belcon and Isa Antonetti.