Ann Robinson Meeker

1960 -

Ann Robinson, a pianist and organist, taught at Southwestern Adventist College, now University, from 1984 to 1989. Although she had attended SWAC earlier as a student, her undergraduate degree in piano pedagogy was completed at Andrews University in 1983.

Ann started piano lessons in the first grade and began playing for church services when in the seventh grade. Following graduation from Valley Grande Academy in 1978, she enrolled at Southwestern Adventist College as a music and business major.

After two years of piano with William Bromme, he arranged for her to study with Jo Boatwright at Texas Christian University for a year. She also took her first instruction in organ with Marianne Glasscock during her time at SWAC. Robinson transferred to Andrews University at the end of her junior year.

At AU, Robinson studied piano for a year with Sandra Camp and, in her senior year, with Morris Taylor. She also studied organ for a year with C. Warren Becker and while at AU, served as organist at local Sunday services at churches, a practice she continued when she returned to Texas. Following completion of her undergraduate degree in 1983, she was awarded a fellowship at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where she completed an M.Mus. in piano performance in 1985.

During her last year at SMU, Robinson began teaching keyboard at SWAC, working with Larry Otto, who was serving as chair of the program. While teaching there in the next five years, she also maintained a private studio, pursued some doctoral study, and, as Artist-in-Residence, concertized extensively as a soloist on piano and organ and with Mugor Doroftei (violinist) and the Keene Camarata string orchestra. A memorable annual event that piano students of 1986-1989 fondly remember were the "monster" piano concerts Robinson instituted, with up to 16 pianos and 64 hands (two pianists at each piano) playing at the same time onstage at Evans Hall and also in the Keene SDA Church.

Ann taught at SWAC until 1989 and then moved to the Dallas area briefly before returning to Keene to work at the Texas Conference office. She married Craig Meeker in 1990, and in 1993 they moved to Kansas. She continues to play piano in the Wichita, Kansas, area Adventist churches where her husband speaks as a lay preacher. Meeker now works in a federal courthouse, where she is a computer systems engineer.

ds/2007

Source: Information provided by Ann Robinson Meeker, 2007.