The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has announced that violinist Anne Akiko Meyers will become its new Artistic Partner, beginning in the 2026/27 season. The collaboration is planned as a five-year partnership running through the 2031/32 season.
A long-term collaboration focused on new repertoire
The partnership will centre on expanding the repertoire for violin and orchestra through new commissions, alongside a programme of performances and recordings. According to the announcement, the collaboration aims to build a body of new works and make them widely accessible through digital releases.
Meyers has previously collaborated with the ensemble in both concerts and recordings. Most recently, they appeared together at Carnegie Hall in 2025 for the world premiere of The Pacific Has No Memory by Eric Whitacre.
The new role formalises an ongoing artistic relationship and represents one of a limited number of official long-term collaborations in the orchestra’s history.
Shared artistic direction within a conductorless model
The orchestra stated that the partnership will operate within its conductorless and collaborative structure. Meyers is expected to work alongside Orpheus’s artistic directors on programming decisions and the selection of composers for future commissions.
In a statement, Meyers described the ensemble’s approach as a “collective experience” and highlighted her interest in working with contemporary composers and developing new repertoire.
Executive Director Alexander Scheirle said the collaboration reflects a shared focus on innovation and on expanding the violin-with-orchestra repertoire for the 21st century, with a parallel recording initiative intended to reach a global audience.
An ensemble built on musical democracy
Founded in 1972, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is known for its conductorless model, in which musicians share leadership responsibilities and decisions are made collaboratively. The ensemble is based in New York and performs regularly at Carnegie Hall, alongside international appearances.
Meyers, a Grammy Award-winning violinist, has been widely associated with contemporary music through commissions, premieres, and recordings with composers including Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass, and John Corigliano.
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