The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra) was awarded from 1959 to 2011. From 1967 to 1971, and in 1987, the award was combined with the award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra) and awarded as the Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance – Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with or without orchestra).
The award has had several minor name changes: In 1959 the award was known as Best Classical Performance – Instrumentalist (with concerto scale accompaniment) In 1960 it was awarded as Best Classical Performance – Concerto or Instrumental Soloist (with full orchestral accompaniment) In 1961 it was awarded as Best Classical Performance – Concerto or Instrumental Soloist In 1962 it was awarded as Best Classical Performance – Instrumental Soloist (with orchestra) From 1963 to 1964 it was awarded as Best Classical Performance – Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with orchestra) In 1965 it was awarded as Best Performance – Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with orchestra) From 1966 to 1991 and in 1994 it was awarded as Best Classical Performance – Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with orchestra) (or a very similar equivalent) In 1992 it was awarded as Best Instrumental Soloist With Orchestra In 1993 it was awarded as Best Classical Performance – Instrumental Solo With Orchestra From 1995 to 2011 it was awarded as Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra)
In 2012, the award was discontinued in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. The category was merged with the Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra) category to form the new Best Classical Instrumental Solo category, similar to the award from 1967 to 1971.
Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year.
Winners & Nominees 1950s
Year Recording Artist(s) 1959 Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor, Op. 23 Van Cliburn, soloist; Symphony of the Air; Kiril Kondrashin, conductor Bartók: Concerto for Violin Isaac Stern, soloist; New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, conductor Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Flat Major, Op. 83 Emil Gilels, soloist; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Fritz Reiner, conductor Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Leonard Pennario, soloist; Los Angeles Philharmonic; Erich Leinsdorf, conductor Segovia Golden Jubilee Andrés Segovia, soloist; Symphony of the Air; Enrique Jordá, conductor
1960s Year Recording Artist(s) 1960 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30 Van Cliburn, soloist; Symphony of the Air; Kiril Kondrashin, conductor Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Flat Minor, Op. 83 Arthur Rubinstein, soloist; RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra; Josef Krips, conductor Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77 Henryk Szeryng, soloist; London Symphony Orchestra; Pierre Monteux, conductor Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor, Op. 23 Vladimir Horowitz, soloist; NBC Symphony Orchestra; Arturo Toscanini, conductor 1961 Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Flat Minor, Op. 83 Sviatoslav Richter, soloist; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Erich Leinsdorf, conductor Bach: Concerto No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056 Glenn Gould, soloist; Columbia Symphony Orchestra; Vladimir Golschmann, conductor Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 662 Gervase de Peyer, soloist; London Symphony Orchestra; Peter Maag, conductor Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 16 Malcolm Frager, soloist; Paris Conservatoire Orchestra; René Leibowitz, conductor Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54 Van Cliburn, soloist; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Fritz Reiner, conductor 1962 Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 1, Sz. 36 BB 48a Isaac Stern, soloist; Philadelphia Orchestra; Eugene Ormandy, conductor Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E Flat Major, Op. 73 Leon Fleisher, soloist; Cleveland Orchestra; George Szell, conductor Boccherini-Cassado: Concerto for Guitar Andrés Segovia, soloist; Symphony of the Air; Enrique Jordá, conductor Strauss: Don Quixote, Op. 35 Pierre Fournier, soloist; Cleveland Orchestra; George Szell, conductor 1963 Stravinsky: Violin Concert in D Isaac Stern, soloist; Columbia Symphony Orchestra; Igor Stravinsky, conductor Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77 David Oistrakh, soloist; Orchestre National de France; Otto Klemperer, conductor Bruch: Scottish Fantasy in E Flat Major, Op. 46, Vieuxtemps: Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Minor, Op. 37 Jascha Heifetz, soloist; New London Symphony Orchestra; Malcolm Sargent, conductor Liszt: Piano Concertos No. 1 and No. 2 Sviatoslav Richter, soloist; London Symphony Orchestra; Kiril Kondrashin, conductor Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 Van Cliburn, soloist; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Fritz Reiner, conductor 1964 Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor, Op. 23 Arthur Rubinstein, soloist; Boston Symphony Orchestra; Erich Leinsdorf, conductor Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 1, Sz. 83 BB 91 Rudolf Serkin, soloist; Columbia Symphony Orchestra; George Szell, conductor Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26, MOzart: Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Major, K. 218 Jascha Heifetz, soloist; New London Symphony Orchestra; Malcolm Sargent, conductor Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30 Vladimir Ashkenazy, soloist; London Symphony Orchestra; Anatole Fistoulari, conductor Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83 Lorin Hollander, soloist; Boston Symphony Orchestra; Erich Leinsdorf, conductor 1965 Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19 Isaac Stern, soloist; Philadelphia Orchestra; Erich Leinsdorf, conductor Barber: Piano Concerto, Op. 38 John Browning, soloist; Cleveland Orchestra; George Szell, conductor Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E Flat Major, Op. 73 Arthur Rubinstein, soloist; Boston Symphony Orchestra; Erich Leinsdorf, conductor Bloch: Concerto for Violin Yehudi Menuhin, soloist; Philharmonia Orchestra; Paul Kletzki, conductor Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15 Van Cliburn, soloist; Boston Symphony Orchestra; Erich Leinsdorf, conductor Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra in E Flat Major, K. 364 Rafael Druian, Abraham Skernik, soloists; Boston Symphony Orchestra; George Szell, conductor Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez, Vivaldi: Lute Concerto in D Major, RV 93 Julian Bream, soloist; Melos Chamber Orchestra; Davis, conductor 1966 Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 Arthur Rubinstein, soloist; Boston Symphony Orchestra; Erich Leinsdorf, conductor Barber: Violin Concerto, Op. 14, Hindemith: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra Isaac Stern, soloist; New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, conductor Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 Rudolf Serkin, soloist; NBC Symphony Orchestra; Arturo Toscanini, conductor Beethoven: Triple Concerto Isaac Stern, Leonard Rose, Eugene Istomin, soloists; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Eugene Ormandy, conductor Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 1 in F Sharp Minor, Op. 1, Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Minor, Op. 40 Leonard Pennario, soloist; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; André Previn, conductor
1970s