Levine, Ben Zander, Yo-Yo Ma, and other Grammy nominees

From Mark Shanahan:

Amid all the big names on the list of Grammy nominees were several local folks, among them Ben Zander (for this work with the London Philharmonia Orchestra), James Levine, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Pops, and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. (The seven nominations racked up by the BSO and Pops were their first since the orchestra started recording on its own label, BSO Classics.) Other nominees include the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who tapped in the best classical crossover album category, and bluegrass sensation Sarah Jarosz, a student at the New England Conservatory who's nominated for best country instrumental performance. "I'm still just floating," Jarosz told us yesterday. "Since I was a little girl, I thought maybe someday this could happen if I really worked. For it to happen with my first CD is really amazing." Jarosz said she was in her dorm Wednesday when she got a congratulatory call from her record label. "I'm sort of in disbelief," she said. (NEC prof Miguel Zenón, a saxophonist, is nominated for best latin jazz album.) Not to be done, Berklee College of Music have more than a dozen alums up for Grammys, including Steve Vai, Lalah Hathaway, and Gary Burton, and Makeba Riddick, nominated for best rap song, "Run This Town," which he co-wrote with Jay Z.