UNAM Professor Gabriela Ortiz Wins Three Grammy Awards in Classical Categories

Mexico City, Mexico — Gabriela Ortiz, a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), made history at the 2026 Grammy Awards by winning three awards in classical contemporary music categories. She secured Best Contemporary Classical Composition for “Ortiz: Dzonot,” Best Choral Performance for “Yanga,” and Best Classical Compendium for “Yanga.”

Ortiz is a full-time professor in the Faculty of Music at UNAM, where she teaches composition. Her catalog includes works for orchestra, chamber music, opera, dance, theater, and film, distinguished by a personal voice that blends academic, popular, and political elements.

She has demonstrated social commitment through compositions such as “Únicamente la verdad,” “Luciérnaga,” and “Revolución Diamantina,” the latter a collaboration with Mexican writer Cristina Rivera Garza inspired by the 2019 feminist march. This piece earned her the Grammy for Best Contemporary Classical Composition, along with the other two awards.

Her works have been performed by prestigious international orchestras and ensembles, including the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

In a social media post, Ortiz expressed gratitude, stating, “We won three Grammys!!!! Grateful with @LAPhil @GustavoDudamel @LAMasterChorale @Tambuco1 @AWeilerstein @Boosey and Platoon!!!!!!”

Among her accolades are the Gold Medal of Fine Arts, the National Prize for Arts and Literature, as well as Guggenheim and Fulbright-García Robles fellowships. She is a member of the Academy of Arts and El Colegio Nacional. Ortiz also serves as a composer-in-residence at Carnegie Hall, the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra, and the Curtis Institute of Music.

UNAM’s cultural department congratulated her on social media, highlighting her achievements: “Gabriela Ortiz, our academic @UNAM_MX, wins three #Grammy awards with ‘Yanga’: Best Contemporary Classical Composition, Best Choral Performance, and Best Classical Compendium. Congratulations! Her talent and career elevate the name of Mexico.”