23 Grads Worked on Winning Projects Across 16 Categories for 14 Different Artists; Grad Jonathan Lopez Garcia Worked on Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter”, Winner of “Album of the Year”
Gilbert, Ariz., Feb. 11, 2025 – As has become an annual custom, CRAS graduates have made a name for themselves during the GRAMMY Awards, and this year is no different.
During the recent 2025 event, held February 2 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, 23 graduates from The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS; www.cras.edu), the premier institution for audio engineering education, worked on winning projects across 16 categories for 14 different artists.
Of note is graduate Jonathan Lopez Garcia, who worked on Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter”, winner of Album of the Year. A number of CRAS grads also worked on the “Dune: Part Two” score, which won for Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media.
“This past year has been something special, and that is saying an awful lot considering the immense success CRAS graduates have had annually the past two decades,” said Kirt Hamm, CRAS administrator. “Every year, it is always exciting to watch the GRAMMY Awards, but to know that your graduates, who have worked so hard, are being recognized for their achievements on the world stage is amazing. It also teaches our current students that dedication to their craft pays off, and that motivates them even more.”
In total, 55 CRAS graduates worked on 50 GRAMMY-nominated projects across 49 categories during 2024, the most CRAS alumni ever over a single year.
“Working on these songs and albums and has been such an amazing experience,” said CRAS graduate Robert N. Johnson, who worked as an assistant engineer on SZA’s song “Saturn”, which won Best R&B Song. “It’s a surreal feeling when you’re able to work with artists who have been your idols for a long time. CRAS really prepared me from the start, and helped get me into positions that got me to where I am now.”
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 info@cras.edu.
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.
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