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Annie Ray, who is Annandale High School's orchestra director and performing arts department chair, advocates for universal access to quality music education, and has developed creative opportunities to make music accessible to students of all demographics, according to a write-up on the Grammy website.
Ray is a mom of two who lives in Arlington, and was up against nine other nominees. She received the award during the Recording Academy's Special Merit Awards Ceremony on Sat, Feb. 3.
Ray created the Crescendo Orchestra program to bring the joy of orchestra to high school students with severe developmental or intellectual disabilities. She gave a TEDx talk in 2022 called "The Sound of Success," and has presented at numerous colleges and conferences on the topic, the Grammy website says.
Ray was named the 2023 FCPS Outstanding Secondary Teacher of the Year for her work on equity in education, and is a member of the StringRise professional development team and was a 2023 Wolf Trap Educator Guarantee for the AHS partnership with GRAMMY-nominated artist Christylez Bacon, according to the Grammy website.
The award gives Ray a $10,000 honorarium and matching grant for her school's music program.
Ray attended the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
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