Every Grammys Best Classical Instrumental Solo winner

14 ceremonies, 2012–2025. 14 different winners.

Best Classical Instrumental Solo was first awarded in 2012, so it does not run the full 2000–2025 window.

It was created in the 2012 restructuring by merging the two instrumental soloist awards, one for performances with orchestra and one for performances without.

It took over from Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra and Best Instrumental Soloist Performance without Orchestra.

One band per year, because no winner has gone back-to-back in the years on record. Colored by label; scroll sideways for the full run.

Christopher Lamb'12

Kim Kashkashian'13

Evelyn Glennie'14

Jason Vieaux'15

Augustin Hadelich'16

Zuill Bailey'17

Daniil Trifonov'18

James Ehnes'19

Nicola Benedetti'20

Richard O'Neill'21

Jennifer Koh'22

Time For Three'23

Yuja Wang'24

Víkingur Ólafsson'25

Who kept losing

Counting nominations in this category only, 2012–2025.

Most nominated, never won

Curtis Stewart3 noms
Mak Grgić3 noms
Andy Akiho2 noms
Gil Shaham2 noms
Jory Vinikour2 noms
Kristian Bezuidenhout2 noms

Most losses

Daniil Trifonov4L · 1W
Curtis Stewart3L · 0W
Mak Grgić3L · 0W
Yuja Wang3L · 1W
Andy Akiho2L · 0W
Augustin Hadelich2L · 1W

The full list

Year	Winner	Label
2025	Víkingur Ólafsson (Bach: Goldberg Variations) beat 4 others Andy Akiho (Akiho: Longing) Seth Parker Woods (Eastman: The Holy Presence of Joan d'Arc) Mak Grgić (Entourer) Curtis Stewart (Perry: Concerto for Violin & Orchestra)	Unrecorded
2024	Yuja Wang (The American Project) beat 4 others Robert Black (Adams, John Luther: Darkness and Scattered Light) Andy Akiho (Akiho: Cylinders) Seth Parker Woods (Difficult Grace) Curtis Stewart (Of Love)	Unrecorded
2023	Time For Three (Letters for the Future) beat 4 others Hilary Hahn (Abels: Isolation Variation) Daniil Trifonov (Bach: The Art of Life) Mitsuko Uchida (Beethoven: Diabelli Variations) Mak Grgić (A Night in Upper Town - The Music of Zoran Krajacic)	Unrecorded
2022	Jennifer Koh (Alone Together) beat 5 others Simone Dinnerstein (An American Mosaic) Augustin Hadelich (Bach: Sonatas & Partitas) Gil Shaham (Beethoven & Brahms: Violin Concertos) Mak Grgić (Mak Bach) Curtis Stewart (Of Power)	Unrecorded
2021	Richard O'Neill (Theofanidis: Concerto for Violin and Chamber Orchestra) beat 4 others Kirill Gerstein (Adès: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra) Igor Levit (Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas) Augustin Hadelich (Bohemian Tales) Daniil Trifonov (Destination Rachmaninov - Arrival)	Unrecorded
2020	Nicola Benedetti (Marsalis: Violin Concerto; Fiddle Dance Suite) beat 4 others Yuja Wang (The Berlin Recital) Yolanda Kondonassis (Higdon: Harp Concerto) Jan Kraybill (The Orchestral Organ) Tessa Lark (Torke: Sky, Concerto for Violin)	Unrecorded
2019	James Ehnes (Kernis: Violin Concerto) beat 4 others Yuja Wang (Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 2) Christina Day Martinson (Biber: The Mystery Sonatas) Joshua Bell (Bruch: Scottish Fantasy Op. 46; Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor Op. 26) Craig Morris (Glass: Three Pieces in the Shape of a Square)	Unrecorded
2018	Daniil Trifonov (Transcendental) beat 4 others Murray Perahia (Bach: The French Suites) Steven Isserlis (Haydn: Cello Concertos) Maria Lettberg (Levina: The Piano Concertos) Frank Peter Zimmermann (Shostakovich: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2)	Unrecorded
2017	Zuill Bailey (Daugherty: Tales of Hemingway) beat 4 others Leila Josefowicz (Adams: Scheherazade.2) Christian Tetzlaff (Dvorak: Violin Concerto & Romance; Suk: Fantasy) Kristian Bezuidenhout (Mozart: Keyboard Music, Vols 8 & 9) Gil Shaham (1930s Violin Concertos, Vol. 2)	Unrecorded
2016	Augustin Hadelich (Dutilleux: Violin Concerto, L'Arbre Des Songes) beat 4 others Joseph Moog (Grieg & Moszkowski: Piano Concertos) Kristian Bezuidenhout (Mozart: Keyboard Music Vol. 7) Daniil Trifonov (Rachmaninov Variations) Ursula Oppens (Rzewski: The People United Will Never Be Defeated!)	Unrecorded
2015	Jason Vieaux (Play) beat 4 others Leon Fleisher (All The Things You Are) Daniil Trifonov (The Carnegie Recital) Xavier Phillips (Dutilleux: Tout un Monde Lointain) Jory Vinikour (Toccatas)	Unrecorded
2014	Evelyn Glennie (Corigliano: Conjurer - Concerto for Percussionist & String Orchestra) beat 5 others Patricia Kopatchinskaja (Bartók, Eötvös & Ligeti) Gloria Cheng (The Edge of Light) Yefim Bronfman (Lindberg: Piano Concerto No. 2) Leila Josefowicz (Salonen: Violin Concerto; Nyx) Maria João Pires (Schubert: Piano Sonatas D. 845 & D. 960)	Unrecorded
2013	Kim Kashkashian (Kurtág & Ligeti: Music for Viola) beat 4 others Andras Schiff (Bach: Das Wohltemperierte Clavier) Jory Vinikour (The Complete Harpsichord Works of Rameau) Antonio Meneses (Gal & Elgar: Cello Concertos) Hansjörg Albrecht (Holst: The Planets)	Unrecorded
2012	Christopher Lamb (Schwantner: Concerto for Percussion & Orchestra) beat 4 others and Michala Petri (Chinese Recorder Concertos - East Meets West) Yuja Wang (Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto no. 2 in C minor, Op. 18; Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini) Leif Ove Andsnes (Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos nos. 3 & 4) Ursula Oppens (Winging It - Piano Music of John Corigliano)	Unrecorded

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