Fil-Am Marco Paguia wins Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – Marco Paguia, who made history as the first Filipino and Asian to win the Tony Awards’ Best Orchestrations and a special Tony as part of the Buena Vista Social Club band last June, added another feather to his cap.

Paguia and his fellow producers, Dean Sharenow and David Yazbek, and the original Broadway cast, won the Best Musical Theater Album for “Buena Vista Social Club” in Sunday’s Grammy Awards.

He was among the winners in the 68^th Annual Grammy Awards held on February 1 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Marco Paguia at the opening night of ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ | Photo from Buena Vista Social Club

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Who is Marco Paguia?

It may seem that the boyish-looking artist is an overnight Broadway sensation, but he has been working in theater for over two decades. From dance rehearsal pianist to working in regional theater and show tours, Paguia steadily rose, handling music supervision and orchestrations (“Unknown Soldier”) and becoming a music director in “Gutenberg! The Musical!,” “Girl From the North Country,” “Peter and the Starcatcher,” “Goddess” and “Everyday Rapture.”

Marco Paguia onstage at Buena Vista Social Club | Photo from Buena Vista Social Club

In 2024, the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards honored Paguia for his orchestrations for “Buena Vista Social Club” in its earlier staging at the Atlantic Theater.

In a previous interview with this writer, Paguia reminisced that in his childhood, he discovered the allure of musicals. He said, “As a kid, I grew up in the Midwest. My parents are from the Philippines, and we used to go see a lot of Broadway-style shows, especially the big ones like the Cameron Mackintosh shows in the 80s, like Les Mis and Miss Saigon.”

“Lea Salonga was such an icon of Broadway. Not just Broadway, but just representing the Philippines and being a trendsetter or making a mark. And so she was always held to this otherworldly place, especially within the Filipino community.”

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He added, “I got to meet Lea over the years and actually saw her during the Tonys. And she was so happy for me. I did not imagine my career would go this way. I’m just really grateful. I’m still absorbing.”

Marco Paguia poses in the press room with the award for best orchestrations and a special Tony Award for Buena Vista Social Club during the 78th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 8, 2025, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

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“I started like many Asian American kids studying piano at a young age,” Paguia recalled his early training that would lead to a career in musical theater. “My brothers and I all studied piano, but I was the one who stayed with it the longest. And having the classical background really gave me a foundation for technique and just being able to play the instrument.”

Marco Paguia with family | CONTRIBUTED

The holder of a Bachelor’s degree in Music from Northwestern University in Illinois elaborated on growing up as the middle of three children of Filipino immigrants, Victor and Ruby. “I was born in the States. Early on, we were in central Illinois, near Springfield. And then a little bit later, the whole family moved up to the suburbs of Chicago. That’s where we had our high school and middle school.”

“I went to the Philippines. We had a big family reunion in 2003. I still have quite a bit of family there, especially on my dad’s side. It was an incredible trip because it was a family reunion.”

Darren Criss

Darren Criss was also nominated for “Maybe Happy Ending” in the same category that Marco won in, Best Musical Theater Album. Had he won, Criss would have been one step closer to joining EGOT, the elite group of talents who have won the four major entertainment awards – Emmy, Grammy, Oscars, and Tony Awards.

Host Darren Criss appears during the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Criss was nominated for the Grammys Best Musical Theater Album along with his fellow principal vocalists Helen J Shen, Marcus Choi and Dez Duron and producers Deborah Abramson, Will Aronson, Ian Kagey and Hue Park.

At the 2025 Tony Awards, he became the first Filipino and Asian to clinch the Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance as Oliver in “Maybe Happy Ending.” Paguia also made history with his wins at that Tony ceremony.

Darren Criss, left, and wife Mia Swier arrive at the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Criss won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2018 for his role as Andrew Cunanan in Ryan Murphy’s “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.”

In 2019, the son of a Cebuana, Cerina Bru Criss, and the late Charles William Criss Jr., became the first Fil-Am to win the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television for his portrayal in the drama on the assassination of designer Gianni Versace.

Criss hosted the Grammys premiere ceremony, which took place ahead of the 2026 telecast of the music industry’s biggest night. He also performed during the show.