ROCO
Shaping the Future of Classical Music
Core Values: The ABCs of ROCO
ROCO is Houston’s only hyper-local, globally-impactful 40-piece professional chamber orchestra with musicians and guest artists from around the globe. Livestreaming for free since 2013, our concerts have reached all seven continents. ROCO is one of the most prolific commissioning organizations in the US, reaching 150 world premieres, which are paired with classics and rarely-heard gems. Performing in over 75 venues in Houston, our multigenerational and multimedia-enhanced experiences are offered with a Pay-What-You-Wish ticketing model, made possible through 98% of our income being donated by a vast portfolio of supporters.
Known for our use and integration of technology, we invite you to turn ON your phones and iPads in the concert hall to not only view our digital program, but also to see the sheet music and interact with our content in real time. ROCO’s innovative and sector-changing ROCO on the Go! initiative weaves music through the community with QR codes on signs installed in Houston’s parks, hospitals, and schools, now with over 55,000 scans—linking to recordings from our vast library of past performances, providing access for all.
Live audio recordings from concerts are regularly broadcast nationally on American Public Media’s Performance Today show and are available for free listening in ROCO’s own Listening Room as well as through all popular music streaming services. The Donne Foundation’s most-recent global report ranked ROCO as second internationally to the BBC Symphony in programming works by women and composers of color. And ROCO’s debut album, Visions Take Flight, was recognized with a GRAMMY® Award for Producer of the Year, Blanton Alspaugh.
Cultivating a multigenerational audience, ROCOrooters music education and childcare program offers a concert and night out for caregivers. The Nightingale, ROCO’s newly published children’s book, offers unprecedented delivery of interactive music and narration.
ROCO.ORG
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ROCO’s Founding
Known as “the most fun you can have with serious music,” ROCO was founded in 2005 at The Church of St. John the Divine by oboist and Juilliard graduate, Alecia Lawyer. After multiple experiences in other musical start-ups, she saw the need for a sustainable and thriving model that would focus on authentic connections between musicians and audiences. Her work of “Wildcatting in the Arts” has expanded through a vibrant and multi-talented team that has made ROCO known for its dedication to living and diverse composers, multigenerational audiences, and free access to classical music for all.
