Last night in Los Angeles, Alarm Will Sound, a group featuring Mizzou School of Music faculty Stefan Freund and Bill Kalinkos, won the Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance! They were honored for their recording of Donnacha Dennehy’s composition, “Land of Winter.” Alarm Will Sound is the ensemble-in-residence for the Mizzou New Music Initiative, so while the award celebrates two of our faculty members, it also reflects global recognition of our ensemble and music programs.

Both Dr. Freund and Dr. Kalinkos are faculty members in the College of Arts and Science’s School of Music and founding members of the 20-person Alarm Will Sound ensemble. For the past 15 years, Alarm Will Sound has also served as ensemble-in-residence for the annual Mizzou International Composers Festival and is in residence at Mizzou each January. The ensemble’s first experience with “Land of Winter” was at the Missouri Theatre.

Thanks to the extraordinary support and vision of Dr. Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield, Rex Sinquefield and the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation, Mizzou is an established destination for music performance and composition. The Mizzou New Music Initiative, under the artistic direction of Dr. Freund, brings remarkable opportunities to campus, and now our students can study with 2026 Grammy Award–winning faculty. Just last week, we also welcomed the world‑renowned St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for an astounding performance in Jesse Auditorium.

Congratulations to the entire ensemble!

— Mun