Anne Akiko Meyers’ New Album Beloved released on Platoon on May 9, 2025

This stunning music by Billy Childs, Ola Gjeilo, and Eric Whitacre feels like a beautiful gift — a way to transform tragedy into something redemptive, to carry the memory of those we’ve lost, and to honor the acts of courage and love that continue to surround us.

— Anne Akiko Meyers

At last you have departed and gone to the Unseen. / What marvelous route did you take from this world?

— Rumi, “Gone to the Unseen”

New York City (April 25, 2025) — Anne Akiko Meyers, the celebrated GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist, and muse and champion of today’s leading composers, releases Beloved on May 9, 2025, in honor of Mother’s Day. It is her eagerly-anticipated second album on the Platoon label, following the wildly successful Fandango (2023). Beloved consists of the world premiere recordings of Billy Childs’ In the Arms of the Beloved, Eric Whitacre’s Seal Lullaby (2024), and Ola Gjeilo’s Serenity. All works feature the Los Angeles Master Chorale, conducted by Grant Gershon. David Frost is the producer, with Silas Brown handling sound engineering and mastering. Hannah Kacmarsky and Shade Tramp are sound engineers.

In the Arms of the Beloved, the centerpiece of the album, is a requiem for Childs’ mother, Mable Brown Childs. It conveys a profound message of hope, love and resilience that is especially poignant in the wake of the devastation from the fires that decimated the communities of Altadena and the Palisades, in Childs and Meyers’ home state of California. “That this work is rooted in the very land — Southern California — that endured such hardship adds an extra layer of emotional depth, making it not just an incredible composition, but a collective expression of grief and renewal,” says Meyers. The piece is scored for solo violin, piano, string quartet, choir, and a small group that includes guitar.

(Anne Akiko Meyers and Billy Childs at the recording sessions)

For In the Arms of the Beloved, Childs imagines the solo violin as the voice of his mother, the piano as his own voice, and the choir as a shapeshifting sonic environment that sets the mood for the timeless Rumi poem Gone to the Unseen, which “describes a beautiful way to look at death, therefore providing a means for me to process my mother’s passing,” says Childs in his composer’s note. 

“This piece elevates my spirit and soul and allows me to reflect and reminisce,” says Meyers in the album liner notes. “It also reminds me of how sound can act like a bridge, connecting us not just to each other, but to something larger — whether that’s the land, the shared human experience, or a collective healing.”

The album is rounded out by two short pieces from Whitacre and Gjeilo. For Seal Lullaby, Whitacre was inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s classic bedtime story about a baby seal. “I couldn’t have been more thrilled when Anne approached me to create this version for solo violin and strings,” says Whitacre, one of the great choral composers of our time.

Gjeilo’s Serenity is a slowly moving meditation, with a big crescendo in the middle section, and a return to peacefulness. It is highlighted by the choir’s overlapping, fading chords, which are meant to create a sense of space and mystery. The Norwegian composer’s first work for choir and violin, Serenity sets to music the text from O Magnum Mysterium. 

Beloved is available as a digital download, and all major streaming platforms starting May 9, 2025. 

It will be released on CD and vinyl later this year. 

Watch Beloved album trailer HERE.

(Anne Akiko Meyers and Billy Childs at the world premiere of In the Arms of the Beloved)

 

Anne Akiko Meyers: Beloved

BILLY CHILDS

In the Arms of the Beloved (2023)

31:43

• Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
• Billy Childs, piano
• Luciana Souza, vocalist
• Larry Koonse, guitar
• Carol Robbins, harp
• Dan Chmielinski, bass
• Christian Euman, drums
• Lyris Quartet
• Grant Gershon, conductor
• Los Angeles Master chorale

 

ERIC WHITACRE

Seal Lullaby (2024), arranged by Jonathan Newman

4:18

• Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
• Grant Gershon, conductor
• Los Angeles Master Chorale

 

OLA GJEILO

Serenity (2024), arranged by the composer

5:18

• Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
• Grant Gershon, conductor
• Los Angeles Master Chorale

 

World premiere recordings

Evergreen Studios — August 26 & 27, 2024

Anne Akiko Meyers, Executive Producer

David Frost, Producer

Silas Brown, Sound Engineer & Mastering

Hannah Kacmarsky, Shade Tramp, Sound Engineers

About Anne Akiko Meyers

Anne Akiko Meyers is one of the world’s most esteemed violinists. In addition to performing traditional violin repertoire, she has commissioned and premiered new works that have become staples of concert halls, classical music radio stations and streaming platforms for decades.

Meyers’ live recording with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic of Arturo Márquez’s Fandango received two Latin GRAMMY® Awards: Best Classical Album and Best Contemporary Composition. She also received a 2024 GRAMMY® Award nomination for the piece, which she has performed dozens of times. Meyers has worked with the most important composers of our time, including Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt, John Corigliano, Wynton Marsalis, Arturo Márquez, Michael Daugherty, Mason Bates, John Williams, and Eric Whitacre.

Meyers studied with the legendary teacher Dorothy DeLay at The Juilliard School, where she is now a board trustee. She has received the Avery Fisher Career Grant and an Honorary Doctorate from The Colburn School. Meyers performs on the 1741 Ex-Vieuxtemps Guarneri del Gesù, considered to be the finest sounding violin in existence. www.anneakikomeyers.com

About Platoon

The multi-award and GRAMMY® winning label Platoon was acquired by Apple in 2018. The boutique artist services company identifies groundbreaking talent from around the world, while providing invaluable and innovative tools and services to build their careers and reach new fans. Platoon landed its first success shortly after their inception when they signed the then-unknown Billie Eilish, laying the groundwork for her ascent to global stardom, alongside other household names such as Mr Eazi and Victoria Monét. Current signings include Saint Harison, RZA, Khalid, Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Dalia Stasevska, and more. 

Media contact for Anne Akiko Meyers:
Matt Herman
Managing Director
8VA Music Consultancy
matt@8vamusicconsultancy.com

Media contact for Platoon:
Philippa Chamberlayne
philippa@platoon.ai