Legacy Conversations: Anne Akiko Meyers

GRAMMY-winning violinist talks about her life as a musician and her deep love for John Williams’ music, sharing memories of performing with and for the maestro.  Anne Akiko Meyers stands among the most influential violinists of our times. A GRAMMY® Award-winning artist with four decades of international acclaim, Meyers is a defining force in the field of contemporary music and has helped reshape the modern violin repertoire. She has been called “the Wonder Woman of commissioning” for her enduring commitment to playing and commissioning music by some of the most important composers of the last half century, including Arvo Pärt, Einojuhani Rautavaara, John Corigliano, Arturo Márquez, Philip Glass, Michael Daugherty, Mason Bates Morten Lauridsen, Wynton Marsalis, Somei Satoh, and Eric Whitacre. Anne Akiko Meyers is a huge admirer of John Williams since her youth. At age 19, she performed Camille Saint-Saëns's "Introduction and Rondò Capriccioso" at Boston's Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops Orchestra conducted by Williams. In 2018, she performed Williams’s “Theme from Schindler’s List” with David Newman and The American Youth Symphony to honor the composer, when he received a Trustees Award during a gala concert celebrating the Recording Academy’s 2018 GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends. Meyers was part of another recent pivotal moment in Williams’ life, when in November 2025 the Los Angeles Philharmonic announced to name the stage of the renowned Hollywood Bowl after the composer. In this in-depth conversation, Meyers talks about her career in music and her mission to perform new music by living composers; she offers reflections on Barber's Violin Concerto, which is one of her favourite pieces to perform; she also shares stories and memories of performing with and for John Williams on several occasions, while professing her deep love for the music of the maestro. Read more at https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2026/03/27/legacy-conversations-anne-akiko-meyers/