This guitar player from a Cambridge high school is going to the Grammys
It all started with a YouTube audition.
A guitar player from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School has been selected to attend the Grammy awards in February as a part of a prestigious jazz camp program.
Arlo Sims, an 18-year-old senior, will travel to Los Angeles with 31 other high school musicians for a 10-day “musical adventure” that includes performances, recording sessions, and attending the award ceremony, the Grammy Foundation said in a statement. He’s the only Massachusetts student who has been accepted into the program.
Sims auditioned for the program through a YouTube audition, he told Boston.com.
“My initial reaction was probably … for a while I was in complete shock,” he said. “Whenever you hear this kind of news, it takes a while for you to take it all in. It was just, over time, I started to think about it more and realize what it really means and how I get to go to the Grammys.”
As part of the program, Sims will perform at several Grammy Week events and concerts, including the Grammy Celebration after-party, the foundation said. The group will also record an album at the iconic Capitol Studios facility in Hollywood.
Sims has been playing guitar for six or seven years, and jazz specifically for four or five. He said he wants to incorporate jazz and music into his future. He’s also interested in computer science, so Sims said he might want to combine the two fields and produce new musical technologies later down the road.
As for the Grammys ceremony, Sims is hoping to meet one of his inspirations: Jacob Collier, a 22-year-old artist from London who “plays a bunch of instruments [and is] pioneering jazz in a way,” according to Sims. Collier scored two Grammy nominations this year.
Or, he’d also love to meet big stars like Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, or Chance the Rapper.
“I’m so humbled and so grateful that I’m able to have the chance to do this,” he said. “It’s just great.”
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