SOUNDS OF CLAIRE
ARTIST: ALEX WAKIM
Sounds of Claire is a dreamlike journey through memory and imagination, composed by Alex Wakim as a tribute to his grandmother, Claire Maalouf Haddad. Blending jazz, tango, Arabic modes, and classical influences, the album reimagines the Levant of the 1930s–50s through her eyes, before exile reshaped her world. Each track offers a vignette: a train ride from Beirut to Damascus, a lavish embassy party, a wedding under ancient cedars. In Wakim’s hands, memory becomes music, and lost moments are reborn in sound.
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
Best Instrumental Composition
Independence by Alex Wakim
Best Arrangement, Instruments And Vocals
Je suis seul ce soir (arr. Alex Wakim)
PARALLELS
ARTIST: FOLK PHYSICS & MIKE BLOCK
Parallels is the result of a creative collaboration between composer John Nolan (Folk Physics), renowned cellist Mike Block, and producer Dan Cardinal. Produced over five years beginning at the start of lockdown, each track was crafted and recorded independently, a testament to the trust and synergy between the artists. The album draws inspiration from the atmospheric worlds of Ólafur Arnalds, Brian Eno, and Nils Frahm, weaving ambient textures with emotive strings and nuanced production. Parallels is a collection of wordless-songs about solitude, distance and connection between parallel paths.
Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album
THE HERO LEVELS
ARTIST: NICK REVEL
The Hero Levels Original Soundtrack is an epic musical journey through a mythical world, where each track brings to life a chapter of the hero’s quest. Featuring cinematic textures and virtuosic viola, the album conjures vivid scenes of adventure, mystery, and triumph. Available with the full written novella as a linked companion.
Best Classical Compendium
Best Engineered Album, Classical
Nick Revel
Best Classical Instrumental Solo
Dance Battle by Nick Revel
Best Instrumental Composition
Dance Battle by Nick Revel