Vermont Native Erin Bentlage Wins First Grammy for Best Arrangement at 2024 Awards

Jazz musician and songwriter Erin Bentlage, hailing from Vermont, achieved a significant milestone in her career and brought pride to her home state as she won her very first Grammy award. The 66th Annual Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles on Sunday night marked Bentlage’s triumph in the category of Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals for her contribution to the song ‘In The Wee Small Hours of The Morning’. This track is featured on the debut album of Bentlage’s group, säje, and also includes the remarkable talents of Jacob Collier.

Bentlage, along with her group mates Sara Gazarek, Amanda Taylor, and Johnaye Kendrick, rejoiced on stage as they received the prestigious honor. Bentlage, currently serving as a faculty member at the Los Angeles College of Music and the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, had previously been nominated in the same category in 2020 for säje’s debut original song released back in 2019.

Notably, Bentlage’s versatility extends beyond the Grammy-winning collaboration with Collier. She has made valuable contributions to various projects, including film scores, and has provided her soulful backup vocals to a range of artists such as Moonchild, Pomplamoose, Michael Mayo, and Sara Gazarek.

While Bentlage soared to victory, the Grammy dreams of Vermont’s rock sensation Noah Kahan were not fulfilled. Despite being nominated for Best New Artist, Kahan unfortunately lost out to the talented vocalist Victoria Monét in this year’s Grammy Awards.