Grammy Award for Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album

The Grammy Award for Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album is presented to recording artists for quality albums in the new-age music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards.^[1] Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".^[2]

Grammy Award for Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album
Awarded for	Quality albums in the new-age music genre
Presented by	National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
Formerly called	Grammy Award for Best New Age Album (1992–2022); others
First award	1987
Currently held by	Wouter Kellerman, Éru Matsumoto & Chandrika Tandon - Triveni (2025)
Website	grammy.com

Originally called the Grammy Award for Best New Age Recording, the honor was first presented to Swiss musician Andreas Vollenweider at the 29th Grammy Awards in 1987 for his album Down to the Moon. Two compilation albums featuring Windham Hill Records artists were nominated that same year.^[3] The record label was founded by William Ackerman,^[4] later an award nominee and 2005 winner for the album Returning. From 1988 to 1991 the category was known as Best New Age Performance. from 1992 to 2023, the award was presented as Best New Age Album. Beginning in 2001, award recipients included the producers, engineers, and/or mixers associated with the nominated work in addition to the recording artists.^[5] From 2023, the category has been known as Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album.^[6]

While "new-age" music can be difficult to define, journalist Steven Rea described the genre as "music that is acoustic, electronic, jazzy, folky and incorporates classical and pop elements, Eastern and Latin influences, exotic instrumentation and environmental sound effects."^[7] According to the category description guide for the 52nd Grammy Awards, the award is presented for instrumental or vocal new-age albums "containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded material", with seasonal recordings not being eligible.^[8] The addition of the award category reflected a "coming of age" of the music genre, though some musicians classified as new age dislike the term "new age" and some of its negative connotations.^[7]

Multiple wins

As of 2015, Paul Winter holds the record for the most wins in this category, having won six times (four times as the leader of the group Paul Winter Consort). Winter is the only musician to win the award consecutively; he received an award in 1994 for Spanish Angel as a member of his ensemble and another in 1995 for Prayer for the Wild Things as a solo artist. Irish musician Enya has received four awards. Kitarō holds the record for the most nominations, with sixteen (with only one win, in 2001). All five volumes of Kitarō's Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai series were nominated for Best New Age Album.

Pianist Peter Kater held the record for most nominations without a win, with 12, until he finally won his first Grammy (for Dancing on Water) in 2018. He also holds the record from the most consecutive nominations, with 11, having been nominated every year between 2007 and 2018.

Native American flutist R. Carlos Nakai is the only artist to be nominated for more than one work within the same year—for the 42nd Grammy Awards he was nominated alongside Paul Horn for Inside Monument Valley and for his own album Inner Voices.

Recipients

1987 award winner Andreas Vollenweider

1988 award recipient Yusef Lateef in 2007

Members of the four-time award-winning band Paul Winter Consort performing in 2005

Paul Winter of the Paul Winter Consort, a two-time award winner as a solo artist, performing at the Clearwater Festival in 2007

Members of the 1999 award-winning band Clannad at the 2007 Meteor Awards

2001 award winner and frequent nominee Kitarō

2004 award recipient Pat Metheny performing in 2008

2009 award recipient Jack DeJohnette performing in 2006

Year[I]	Performing artist(s)	Work	Nominees	Ref.
1987	Andreas Vollenweider	Down to the Moon	Jean Michel Jarre – Rendez-Vous Paul Winter – Canyon Various artists (Windham Hill Records) – A Winter Solstice Various artists – Windham Hill Records Sampler '86	[3] [7]
1988	Yusef Lateef	Yusef Lateef's Little Symphony	Paul Horn – Traveler Kitarō – "The Field" Montreaux – "Sweet Intentions" Patrick O'Hearn – Between Two Worlds Liz Story – "Reconciliations"	[9]
1989	Shadowfax	Folksongs for a Nuclear Village	Suzanne Ciani – Neverland Mark Isham – Castalia Steve Khan and Rob Mounsey – Local Color Paul Winter – "Down in Belgorod"	[10] [11] [12] [13]
1990	Peter Gabriel	Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ	Enya – "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)" Mark Isham – Tibet Andreas Vollenweider – Dancing with the Lion Paul Winter – "Icarus"	[14]
1991	Mark Isham	Mark Isham	Acoustic Alchemy – "Caravan of Dreams" Michael Hedges – Taproot Mannheim Steamroller – Yellowstone: The Music of Nature Mysterious Voices of Bulgaria – Balkan Paul Winter – Earth: Voices of a Planet	[15]
1992	Chip Davis	Fresh Aire 7	David Arkenstone – In the Wake of the Wind Suzanne Ciani – Hotel Luna Ottmar Liebert – Borrasca Tangerine Dream – Canyon Dreams	[16]
1993	Enya	Shepherd Moons	Kitarō – Dream Shadowfax – Esperanto Tangerine Dream – Rockoon Yanni – Dare to Dream	[17]
1994	Paul Winter Consort	Spanish Angel	Clannad – Banba Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra – The Hours Between Night and Day Tangerine Dream – 220 Volt Live Yanni – In My Time
1995	Paul Winter	Prayer for the Wild Things	Craig Chaquico – Acoustic Planet Kitarō – Mandala Michael Nesmith – The Garden Tangerine Dream – Turn of the Tides	[18]
1996	George Winston	Forest	Suzanne Ciani – Dream Suite Kitarō – An Enchanted Evening Patrick O'Hearn – Trust Tangerine Dream – Tyranny of Beauty	[19]
1997	Enya	The Memory of Trees	Acoustic Alchemy – Arcanum Suzanne Ciani – Pianissimo II Clannad – Lore Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra – Opium	[20]
1998	Michael Hedges	Oracle	Enigma – Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi! Mike Oldfield – Voyager Vangelis – Oceanic Paul Winter – Canyon Lullaby	[21]
1999	Clannad	Landmarks	William Ackerman – Sound of Wind Driven Rain Alex De Grassi – The Water Garden Kitarō – Gaia Onbashira John Tesh – Grand Passion	[22]
2000	Paul Winter	Celtic Solstice	David Arkenstone – Citizen of the World Suzanne Ciani – Turning Paul Horn and R. Carlos Nakai – Inside Monument Valley R. Carlos Nakai – Inner Voices George Winston – Plains	[23]
2001	Kitarō	Thinking of You	Maire Brennan – Whisper to the Wild Water Phil Coulter – Highland Cathedral David Lanz – East of the Moon R. Carlos Nakai, William Eaton, Will Clipman and Nawang Khechog – In a Distant Place	[24] [25]
2002	Enya	A Day Without Rain	Philip Aaberg – Live from Montana David Darling – Cello Blue Kitarō – Ancient Sacred Spirit – Sacred Spirit II: More Chants and Dances of the Native Americans	[26]
2003	Tingstad and Rumbel	Acoustic Garden	William Ackerman – Hearing Voices Kitarō – An Ancient Journey R. Carlos Nakai – Fourth World Jai Uttal and the Pagan Love Orchestra – Mondo Rama	[27]
2004	Pat Metheny	One Quiet Night	Cusco – Inner Journeys: Myths & Legends Michael Hoppé – Solace Peter Kater – Red Moon Kitarō – Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai	[28]
2005	William Ackerman	Returning	David Arkenstone – Atlantis: A Symphonic Journey Moya Brennan – Two Horizons Peter Kater – Piano Jonathan Elias – American River	[29] [30]
2006	Paul Winter Consort	Silver Solstice	Jack DeJohnette – Music in the Key of Om Kitarō – Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai, Volume 2 R. Carlos Nakai Quartet – People of Peace George Winston – Montana – A Love Story	[31]
2007	Enya	Amarantine	Enigma – A posteriori Gentle Thunder with Will Clipman and AmoChip Dabney – Beyond Words Peter Kater – Elements Series: Fire Andreas Vollenweider – The Magical Journeys of Andreas Vollenweider	[32]
2008	Paul Winter Consort	Crestone	Peter Kater – Faces of the Sun Kitarō – Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai, Volume 3 Ottmar Liebert – One Guitar Eric Tingstad – Southwest	[33]
2009	Jack DeJohnette	Peace Time	William Ackerman – Meditations Will Clipman – Pathfinder Peter Kater – Ambrosia Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra – The Scent of Light	[34]
2010	David Darling	Prayer for Compassion	Jim Brickman – Faith Henta – Laserium for the Soul Peter Kater, Dominic Miller, Kenny Loggins and Jaques Morelenbaum – In a Dream Kitarō – Impressions of the West Lake	[35]
2011	Paul Winter Consort	Miho: Journey to the Mountain	Michael Brant DeMaria – Ocean Kitarō – Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai, Volume 4 R. Carlos Nakai, William Eaton and Will Clipman – Dancing Into Silence Zamora – Instrumental Oasis, Vol 4	[36]
2012	Pat Metheny	What's It All About	Al Conti – Northern Seas Michael Brant DeMaria – Gaia Peter Kater – Wind, Rock, Sea & Flame Zamora – Instrumental Oasis, Vol. 6
2013	Omar Akram	Echoes of Love	Krishna Das – Live Ananda Michael Brant DeMaria – Bindu Steven Halpern – Deep Alpha Peter Kater – Light Body Loreena McKennitt – Troubadours of the Rhine	[37]
2014	Laura Sullivan	Love's River	Brian Eno – Lux Peter Kater – Illumination Kitarō – Final Call R. Carlos Nakai and Will Clipman – Awakening the Fire	[38]
2015	Ricky Kej and Wouter Kellerman	Winds of Samsara	Paul Avgerinos – Bhakti Peter Kater and R. Carlos Nakai – Ritual Kitarō – Symphony Live in Istanbul Silvia Nakkach and David Darling – In Love and Longing	[39]
2016	Paul Avgerinos	Grace	Madi Das – Bhakti Without Borders Catherine Duc – Voyager Peter Kater – Love Ron Korb – Asia Beauty
2017	White Sun	White Sun II	John Burke – Orogen Enya – Dark Sky Island Peter Kater and Tina Guo – Inner Passion Vangelis – Rosetta	[40]
2018	Peter Kater	Dancing on Water	Kitarō – Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai Vol. 5 Steve Roach – Spiral Revelation Brian Eno – Reflection India.Arie – SongVersation: Medicine	[41]
2019	Opium Moon	Opium Moon	Lisa Gerrard & David Kuckhermann – Hiraeth Snatam Kaur – Beloved Steve Roach – Molecules of Motion Jim Kimo West – Moku Maluhia – Peaceful Island	[42]
2020	Peter Kater	Wings	David Arkenstone – Fairy Dreams David Darling – Homage to Kindness Sebastian Plano – Verve Deva Premal – Deva	[43]
2021	Jim "Kimo" West	More Guitar Stories	Laurie Anderson, Tenzin Choegyal & Jesse Paris Smith – Songs from the Bardo Priya Darshini – Periphery Superposition – Form//Less Cory Wong & Jon Batiste – Meditations	[44]
2022	Stewart Copeland & Ricky Kej	Divine Tides	Will Ackerman, Jeff Oster & Tom Eaton – Brothers Wouter Kellerman & David Arkenstone – Pangaea Opium Moon - Night + Day Laura Sullivan – Pieces of Forever	[45]
2023	White Sun	Mystic Mirror	Will Ackerman – Positano Songs Paul Avgerinos – Joy Madi Das & Dave Stringer with Bhakti Without Borders – Mantra Americana Cheryl B. Engelhardt – The Passenger	[46]
2024	Carla Patullo ft. Tonality & The Scorchio Quartet	So She Howls	Kirsten Agresta-Copely – Aquamarine Omar Akram – Moments of Beauty Ólafur Arnalds – Some Kind of Peace (Piano Reworks) David Darling & Hans Christian – Ocean Dreaming Ocean
2025	Wouter Kellerman, Éru Matsumoto & Chandrika Tandon	Triveni	Ricky Kej - Break of Dawn Ryuichi Sakamoto - Opus Anoushka Shankar - Chapter II: How Dark It Is Before Dawn Radhika Vekaria - Warriors of Light	[47]

^{^[I]} Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.

See also

• List of new-age music artists
• List of New Age topics