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Accolades continue to mount for the College of Music’s performing faculty. This Monday, Assistant Professor of Voice Abigail Nims will wait with bated breath to hear the winner announced in her at the Grammys.

“I’m very excited,” says the mezzo soprano. “It was definitely a big surprise, but it was a really good cast and a great production, so I wasn’t completely shocked that we got the nomination.”

Nims and the orchestra are nominated in the Best Engineered Album and Best Opera Album in the Classical category for their recording of Claudio Monteverdi’s opera “Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria.” Nims says though the piece was written nearly 400 years ago and tells the somewhat untouchable story of a queen who waits 20 years for her presumably dead king to return to her, it’s relatable to modern audiences.

“There’s a human element to it. When the king does come back, there’s a beautiful release for the queen, and that’s a feeling that would resonate for anyone. It’s a story about love, devotion and hope,” Nims explains.

Perhaps what makes this recording particularly Grammy-worthy, Nims says, are the crew and performers. Recorded just a week after stage performances of “Il ritorno d’Ulisse” ended, Nims says the recording has a certain freshness to it.

“That made the recording special. We were still so wrapped up in the story. We didn’t have to create something new because we could imagine ourselves on stage, and that brought it to life,” she says.

This version of the opera itself was also a new twist on the 1640 classic.

“The conductor had redesigned the score, so it felt brand new,” Nims recalls. “The voices were so fantastic, the characterizations were great and Boston Baroque played so beautifully. It all came together perfectly.”

Though this is Nims’ first Grammy nomination, it’s not the first time her work has been recognized, nor is it the first Grammy nomination for a College of Music faculty member. Indeed, the is also nominated for a Grammy this year. Nims says the high level of work the college’s faculty continue to produce is part of what makes music at the University of Colorado Boulder special.

“The fact that we continue to go out and perform, in addition to our teaching, is unique. It’s not like that in every university or conservatory, and that’s really important to us,” she says.

“We all love making music, and we share that passion with our students. We come back with new ideas that we get from working with other musicians and conductors, and our students benefit from that.”

The 58th Grammys are Monday, Feb. 15, 6 p.m. MST on CBS.