Baldwin grad hits Grammys’ red carpet

Nancy Conforti was dressed to the nines in a flowery black mesh dress at the 64th annual Grammy Awards.

The 27-year-old Baldwin High School alum was there, in Las Vegas, listening for her chance to come home with one of the famous trophies.

She was a sound engineer on “Marian Anderson — Beyond the Music: Her Complete RCA Victor Recordings,” which was up for best historical album.

As it happened, the Grammy in that category ultimately went to “Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967),” but Conforti later shared how she was honored simply to be in such company.

The Herald talked with Conforti — who spent the first 26 years of her life in Baldwin and now lives in Freeport — about the influence Baldwin schools has on her as well as her experience at the Grammys.

The following excerpts from that interview have been edited for clarity and brevity.

HERALD: When did you first know you were nominated for a Grammy?

CONFORTI: We found out about nominations via livestream in November, and our project was the first one to show up.

I was watching in my bedroom and screamed my head off. It was exciting.

The Grammys were supposed to be in L.A. in January, but were postponed. So by the time they finally arrived, there was so much anticipation built up that it felt like one long dream.

It was a whirlwind of a weekend. My 27th birthday was the Thursday before, so my brother and I flew out then and soaked up the desert sun ahead of Sunday’s awards.

Afterward, I was very ready to return home to rest.

H: How does it feel to know that everyone watching at home saw you on television?

My whole family had tuned into the premiere ceremony (before the primetime telecast) to watch me lose to Joni Mitchell, which I guess on one hand could have been embarrassing. But they sent me a video of them watching and reacting, and it was all very funny.

But oh, my, what an extreme honor to lose to Joni — an absolute legend! And that’s not to say that Marian Anderson isn’t a legend, because she most certainly is, and deserves her flowers in modern society.

It’s just been such a blessing to even have been nominated, truly.

H: How did your career in record engineering start, and what other projects have you worked on?

As a student (at Baldwin High) in audio, we were encouraged -— and then required — to take on projects to develop our skills in the various stages of production. So in a way, I’ve been freelancing since 2013 on various classical, jazz and otherwise “pop” projects.

While I was a student (at Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford), I also worked for churches, did live sound for all the a cappella concerts, and held a few internships.

I worked part-time on the weekends for the Yale School of Music recording concerts and recitals, while spending my weekdays at SwanStudios (in New York City), where I currently work full-time under lead engineer Andreas Meyer.

We specialize in analog audio digitization, archiving, and remastering.

While I’ve worked there, I’ve done a lot of box sets for Sony Classical, including the Marian Anderson set that was nominated. Another box set I’m quite proud of is a box set of Louis Armstrong’s studio sessions for Columbia and RCA Victor, where I led the restoration and assembly of the material.

H: How did Baldwin schools influence your interest in recording engineering?

The mentorship I received from my high school band director, Mr. Scott Dunn, had the most profound effect on the trajectory of my life — and ultimately my career.

High school is a time of great change and development, when students are in a vulnerable and confusing stage of life. And to have both the support and guidance from such a talented and caring educator was of the utmost influence.

I approached Mr. Dunn in September of 10th grade and told him I thought I’d like to be a composer, so he invited the living composers of the pieces we were playing that year to come to the school. I spoke with them at length and realized that was not the path for me, but Mr. Dunn’s support never wavered.

I continued to explore my options, and I eventually found the right path in engineering.

H: Did you enter higher education after Baldwin High School?

Yes, I attended the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford, where I received my bachelor of music in music production and technology. I also took on a minor of performing arts management.

Right after graduation from Hartt, I attended McGill University in Montreal, where I received my master of music in sound recording. There I studied under engineering legends Richard King and George Massenburg.

H: Any advice for Baldwin students?

I would say that life is unpredictable and there’s no deadline or timeline to success.

Follow your passions, and make decisions with future you in mind, and just don’t ever give up on yourself.

I’ve been all over, and I can say there’s no place quite like Baldwin, and I’m so proud to be a Bruin.