Join with a codeGuideBallotsDataToolsBlog

A visual history · Grammys

The winners who defined Classical Instrumental Solo.

14 ceremonies, 2012–2025. 14 different winners.

Who won most recently?
Víkingur Ólafsson in 2025 for Bach: Goldberg Variations.
  1. Bach: Goldberg VariationsVíkingur Ólafsson
  2. The American ProjectYuja Wang
  3. Letters for the FutureTime For Three
  4. Alone TogetherJennifer Koh
  5. Theofanidis: Concerto for Violin and Chamber OrchestraRichard O'Neill
  6. Marsalis: Violin Concerto; Fiddle Dance SuiteNicola Benedetti
Years explored
2012–2025
Different winners
14
Category leader
No leader
About this record

Best Classical Instrumental Solo was first awarded in 2012, so it does not run the full 1959–2025 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.

2012–2025

14 ceremonies

20122025

01 / The reigns

14 winners shaped this category.

The timeline turns the 2012–2025 record into a sequence of reigns. Longer bands reveal sustained runs; color shows the credited label.

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

03 / The near misses

The names that kept coming back without the ending they wanted.

Counting nominations in this category only, 2012–2025.

Most nominated, never won this award

  1. 01
    Curtis Stewart
    3 noms
  2. 02
    Mak Grgić
    3 noms
  3. 03
    Andy Akiho
    2 noms
  4. 04
    Gil Shaham
    2 noms
  5. 05
    Jory Vinikour
    2 noms
  6. 06
    Kristian Bezuidenhout
    2 noms

Most losses in this category

  1. 01
    Daniil Trifonov
    4L · 1W
  2. 02
    Curtis Stewart
    3L · 0W
  3. 03
    Mak Grgić
    3L · 0W
  4. 04
    Yuja Wang
    3L · 1W
  5. 05
    Andy Akiho
    2L · 0W
  6. 06
    Augustin Hadelich
    2L · 1W

04 / The archive

Every year.
Every winner.

The complete reference behind the story, showing 2012–2025. Open any year to see the rest of the field when nominee records are available.

YearWinnerLabel
2025Víkingur 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
2024Yuja 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
2023Time 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
2022Jennifer 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
2021Richard 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
2020Nicola 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
2019James 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
2018Daniil 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
2017Zuill 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
2016Augustin 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
2015Jason 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
2014Evelyn 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
2013Kim 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
2012Christopher 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