ROCO is Houston’s deeply-local, globally-impactful 40-piece professional chamber orchestra with musicians and guest artists from around the world. Creating blueprints for the performing arts field, ROCO is about systemic change and shaping the future of classical music through:
- Livestreaming globally for free since 2013, reaching all seven continents
- 155 commissioned world premieres, seeking the Bachs and Beethovens of our time
- Programming the new alongside classics and rarely heard gems
- Pioneering technology: Inviting audiences to turn ON phones and tablets during concerts for our ROCOHouston app, and the unique ability to
view scores and parts in digital programs - Performed in over 82 Houston venues
- All past concerts available on ROCO’s website Listening Room
- Nightingale Children’s Book donated to 3,000 children and is available online for free
- First CD recognized with a GRAMMY for Producer of the Year, Blanton Alspaugh
- ROCO on the Go: QR codes placed in parks, hospitals, and schools to 1200 tracks of our past performances, with over 55,000 scans
- Half of ROCO’s orchestra of musicians fly in to perform, and more than two-thirds of the 40 musicians have been with ROCO from the beginning
- A worldwide industry leader in programming women composers and composers of color, second only to the BBC Symphony
- Pay-What-You-Wish ticketing with a purposeful business model of 98% donated revenue and only 2% earned, supported by a vast portfolio of donors
- Multigenerational and multimedia experiences such as ROCOrooters music education/childcare program
Two concert series with performances available for free livestreaming on our website, YouTube, Facebook,
YourClassical, Twitch, and Symphony.live.
ROCO’s full 40-piece orchestra performances with musicians from all over the US and Canada & guest artists from around the world, performed at Miller Outdoor Theater, The Church of St. John the Divine, Brockman Opera Hall at Rice, and Zilkha Hall at Hobby Center.
Our signature music education/childcare program, ROCOrooters, runs in tandem with and after the 5:00 PM concerts at St. John the Divine for kids ages 2 months to 5th grade. Children enjoy music lessons and a trip into the concert hall to hear one piece live, then stay for pizza and movies until 10:00 PM for caregivers to have a night out.
Nomadic in nature, the W.T. and Louise J. Moran Foundation Connections Series takes you on a tour of Houston with smaller groups of ROCO musicians in site-specific programs in partnership with various venues, arts, and community organizations, with some concerts curated by individual ROCO musicians.
QR codes to our past performances in curated playlists placed in parks, hospitals, and schools all over Houston (soon to be in state parks in Utah!) Sites include Methodist Hospital, Buffalo Bayou Park, Houston Botanic Garden, Texas Oncology, SPARK Parks, and more.
ROCO recently launched a first-of-its-kind, innovative initiative called Musicians with a Mission (MWM), which reimagines and redesigns the role of a full-time musician within an orchestra. MWM invites individual ROCO musicians to bring together their unique passions and artistic talents to create and run their own outreach under the ROCO umbrella with guidance and oversight from the ROCO team. Nathan Williams, ROCO’s principal clarinet, was selected as the very first MWM Manager to run his own access/outreach initiative in the hospice and palliative care area. He moved to Houston full-time in January to join the artistic team of ROCO and is also deeply engaged with independent and assisted living facilities.
Shaping the Future of Classical Music
Accessibility
Accessibility reflects ROCO’s commitment to achieving impactful and inviting relationships with our community through a welcoming engagement philosophy and thoughtful artistic content and delivery mechanisms.
Boldness
Boldness reflects ROCO’s commitment to adventurous leadership; curiosity, creativity, and innovation in both artistry and engagement; musical, technical, and administrative excellence; and the financial strength, discipline, and transparency proven to sustain success.
Connection
Connection reflects ROCO’s commitment to building every element of its mission on a foundation of individual relationships among musicians, audiences, composers, donors, staff, directors, and partners, predicated on a deep-seated hope that this is fun for everyone involved!
