Yaddo Connected Films Oscar Nominees

Saratoga Springs, NY (February 2, 2010) - Two films with a Yaddo connection – Up in the Air, a screen adaptation of a novel by Yaddo author Walter Kirn, and Precious: Based on the Novel  Push by Sapphire, a film based on a book by Yaddo writer Sapphire – are nominated for a slew of Oscars and will vie against each other in several categories at the 82nd Academy Awards in March.

Tilson Thomas Wins Grammys Tilson Thomas The San Francisco Symphony's live concert recording of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 and the Adagio from Symphony No. 10, conducted by the symphony's music director, Yaddo composer Michael Tilson Thomas, received three 2010 Grammy Awards: Best Classical Album and Best Choral Performance for Tilson Thomas, conductor, and choir directors Ragnar Bohlin, Kevin Fox, and Susan McMane; and Best Engineered Classical Album for Engineer Peter Laenger, at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards held Sunday in Los Angeles. The recording is the latest release in an ongoing Mahler recording cycle for the orchestra's own SFS Media label. Mahler's Symphony No. 8 in E flat major, Symphony of a Thousand, was recorded live in Davies Symphony Hall November 19, 21, 22 and 23, 2008 and features performances by sopranos Erin Wall, Elza van den Heever, and Laura Claycomb; mezzo-sopranos Katarina Karnéus and Yvonne Naef; tenor Anthony Dean Griffey; baritone Quinn Kelsey; and bass-baritone James Morris. The San Francisco Symphony Chorus, under the direction of Bohlin, is featured on the recording, as well as the San Francisco Girls Chorus, directed by McMane, and the Pacific Boyschoir, under the direction of Fox. The Adagio from Symphony No. 10, which opens the two-disc set, was recorded April 6-8, 2006.

Precious, executive produced by Lisa Cortes, a Member of The Corporation of Yaddo, and Up in the Air each are nominated in the following categories: Best Motion Picture of the Year, Achievement in Directing (Lee Daniels for Precious and Jason Reitman for Up in the Air), Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air and Mo'Nique in Precious), and Adapted Screenplay (Geoffrey Fletcher for Precious and Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner for Up in the Air). In addition, Precious received nods for Gabourey Sidibe for Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role and for Joe Klotz for Achievement in Film Editing, and Up in the Air's George Clooney is nominated in the Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role category.

Also garnering attention for this year's Oscar celebration is the stop motion animated film Fantastic Mr. Fox, which has a screenplay co-written by Yaddo filmmaker Noah Baumbach and director Wes Anderson. Fantastic Mr. Fox is on the list of nominees for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year and Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures/Original Score (Alexandre Desplat).

Nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards were announced this morning by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. The Oscars will be presented March 7 in Los Angeles in a televised ceremony hosted by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. Precious also is nominated for five 2010 Film Independent Spirit Awards, the winners of which will be announced two days before the Oscars.