37 CRAS Grads Worked on 97 GRAMMY-Nominated Projects Across 42 Categories During the Past Year; One CRAS Instructor Worked on Three Nominated Albums
Gilbert, Ariz., Dec. 16, 2025 – CRAS has its prints all over the 2026 GRAMMY Awards.
The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS; www.cras.edu), the premier institution for audio engineering education, is proud to announce that 37 CRAS graduates worked on 97 GRAMMY-nominated projects across 42 categories with 44 artists during the past year. Two CRAS grads themselves have been nominated for a GRAMMY Award, and CRAS instructor Clifton Graham worked on three nominated albums.
The 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards show is scheduled for February 1, 2026 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Chris Kasych, CRAS graduate and GRAMMY-nominated engineer. (image courtesy of Chris Kasych)
“Nearly 100 GRAMMY-nominated projects? Incredible! Our graduates are amazing, and so are our instructors,” said Kirt Hamm, CRAS administrator. “The more than three dozen grads who worked with such top-tier talent across so many categories and gained recognition for the 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards are truly inspirational for our current students. Add to that knowing our instructors are some of the best in the world who also are GRAMMY-nominated themselves proves to our students that their hard work and dedication to the craft will truly take you places in this industry.”
CRAS graduates who have earned GRAMMY nominations this year include:
- Chris Kasych (Engineer) – Chappell Roan
- Mike Larson (Mixing/Recording/Programming) – Clipse
“I’m humbled to be where I am today, earning a nomination for Record of the Year,” said Kasych. “None of it would be possible without the gracious mentors and talented educators I’ve partnered with along the way, the first of whom I met at CRAS.”
During the past year, CRAS graduates worked on six of the eight Song of the Year nominations, and six of the eight Record of the Year nominations.
The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences is composed of two nearby campuses in Gilbert and Tempe, Ariz. A CRAS education includes broadcast audio, live sound, film and TV audio, music, and video game audio, all taught by award-winning instructors who have all excelled in their individual fields, including sound reinforcement, audio recording and production, digital recording, troubleshooting/maintenance, and music business.
CRAS structured programs and highly qualified teaching staff provide a professional and supportive atmosphere, which is complemented by its small class sizes allowing for individual instruction and assistance for students in engineering audio recordings. CRAS has been providing quality vocational training in audio recording for more than three decades. The curriculum and equipment are constantly being updated to keep pace with the rapid advancements in the music and sound recording industries. CRAS’ course offerings and subject matter have always centered around the skills and knowledge necessary for students’ success in the audio recording industries.
The 11-month program is designed to allow every student access to learn and train in all of the Conservatory’s studios which are comprised with state-of-the-art audio recording and mixing gear, the same equipment used in today’s finest studios and remote broadcast facilities, including Pro Tools 12, API Legacy consoles, SSL AWS consoles, Studer Vista consoles, and much more. All students must complete a 280-hour industry internship to graduate from the Master Recording Program II that may ultimately lead to industry employment.
For more information on the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences, please visit www.cras.edu, contact Kirt Hamm, administrator, at 1-800-562-6383, or email to [email protected].
About The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences
Based in the heart of The Valley of the Sun with two campuses in Gilbert and Tempe, Ariz., The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS) is one of the country’s premier institutions for audio education. The Conservatory has developed a unique and highly effective way to help the future audio professional launch their careers in the recording industry and other related professional audio categories.
