Miles Brown thought his ensemble Alarm Will Sound had the makings for a Grammy award-winning recording with Radio Rewrite, based on themes from the band Radiohead written by contemporary classical composer Steve Reich. It had name recognition and popular appeal, but it didn't get the attention Brown expected.

Their Grammy moment came this year instead, when Alarm Will Sound took home the 2026 Grammy award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for Donnacha Dennejy's Land of Winter.

"You just never know what's going to hit," said Brown, associate professor of string bass and jazz in the University of Delaware School of Music in the College of Arts and Sciences. "You put stuff out there into the world and hope it comes back."

That's just one of the lessons Brown took away from the Grammy experience.

It was the first nomination and win for the 22-member ensemble, which is committed to innovative performances and recordings of today's new music. In addition to Reich's Radio Rewrite, they have premiered music by Meredith Monk, Tyshawn Sorey, David Lang, John Adams, Mary Kouyoumdjian, John Luther Adams, Marcos Balter and Augusta Read Thomas.

Brown said the group's mission has always been to collaborate with composers and present new ideas about music.

"As teachers, it's our responsibility to bring as much breadth of the world into the studio, and as much experience as we can," said Brown, who plays the bass. "It's not just being a good musician. You have to work well with an ensemble and understand the music business. I have insight to give my students."