Press
Review of “Rhopareptilia,” composed for Joy on Fire, Hymn (2021): All About Jazz review of Hymn
At over nine minutes long, “Rhopareptilia” is a real chamber-jazz epic. Exchanges between piano and cello lend a luxurious sadness, as Meadors subtly probes her way in. Cymbals and drums burst out at startling moments, and soft piano chords dominate each quiet interlude, but the stealth with which Joy On Fire build their pieces is trance-like, as more tumult leads to an urgent crescendo. A vivid and unsettling track, “Rhopareptilia” seems to vacillate between fear and faith.
-Gareth Thompson, All About Jazz, 2021
Review of “Gray Stone, Green Garden,” composed for the Solo Saxophone Commissioning Consortium, Consortium Works: Solo Saxophone (people places records, 2020): I Care If You Listen review
The disc opens with Anna Meadors’ Gray Stone, Green Garden, performed by Robert Hess. This work for alto or baritone solo saxophone, inspired by Italo Calvino’s “Without Colors,” is sonically varied throughout, making use of the instrument’s large range and capabilities. Quick passages in the upper register are punctuated by low-pitched growls, creating a sense of dialogue and gravitas that belie the small forces.
-Lauren Ishida, I Care If You Listen, 2020
Review of “At Daybreak,” composed for flutist Krisztina Dér; Krisztina Dér and Wayne Reich: Flutist and Video Artist Meet at the Cutting Edge
Anna Meadors, a PhD student at Princeton, chose an entirely acoustic landscape with “At Daybreak.” Don’t let the lack of computer fool you: by specifying timbral effects in the flute and adding a live percussionist, Meadors builds a powerful sonic fabric. Mirroring her approach to the music, Meadors asks a live lighting engineer to accompany the musicians. With every artistic element controlled in real time by human hands, “At Daybreak” has a wonderful elastic quality.
-Nicholas Rich, Cultural Voice of North Carolina, 2017
Review Red Clay Saxophone Quartet’s performance at Duke University, January 25, 2015
“Motor and Soul” (2014) by Anna Meadors was commissioned by RCSQ and premiered in Greensboro on November 1, 2014. In her notes, Meadors describes the motor as “the brain or the heart, maybe both…..” The composition is built in layers; little by little, the texture thickens with melodic material woven throughout. Gradually the baritone cushions and lifts the soaring soprano lines. With each note made clearly audible, the quartet made the piece sing.
-Karen E. Moorman, Classical Voice of North Carolina, 2015
News
2024: “Where did all the words go” featured on Tyler Kline’s Modern Notebook, March 10, 2024
2022: Joined Columbia’s Music Department as Assistant Director of the Computer Music Center and Lecturer, Columbia’s Announcement
2024: “Where did all the words go” featured on Tyler Kline’s Modern Notebook, September 11, 2020
2022: “Bird Fish” included in Emma O’Halloran’s I Care If You Listen Listn Up Playlist
2020: Joy on Fire’s “Thunderdome” featured on NPR’s All Songs Considered, November 17, 2020
2019: Joy on Fire’s “Hymn” featured on NPR’s All Songs Considered, January 15, 2019
2016: ShoutHouse Call for Scores Winner with “sand & clay”
2015: Preview interview for my M.M. recital at 88.5 WFDD: Meet the Artist: Saxophonist and Composition Student Anna Meadors