Announcing Season 22:
ROCO ODYSSEY
Experience a New Dimension of Connection
A citywide journey of sound, story, and discovery
Seven commissioned world premieres
Jessica Meyer named Composer In Residence
Video collaborator Ben Doyle, of BEND Productions, named as ROCO’s newest Artistic Partner
Expanded venues, including the Ismaili Center and Zilkha Hall
HOUSTON, TX – ROCO embarks on its 22nd season, ROCO Odyssey, reimagining the concert season as an expansive, citywide journey. With seven commissioned world premieres, bold new collaborations, and performances across Houston from the iconic to the most unexpected spaces, ROCO invites audiences to experience music as a path of discovery—both inward and outward.
Anchored by the theme “Experience a New Dimension of Connection,” Season 2026-2027 explores how music connects us across space, perspective, and lived experience—through sound, story, technology, and community.
A Season That Travels: Expanding the Concert Experience
This season marks a major evolution for ROCO’s Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation In Concert Series, which expands into new venues including the Ismaili Center and Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, alongside beloved spaces such as Miller Outdoor Theatre, The Church of St. John the Divine, and Brockman Hall for Opera at Rice University. Each performance becomes a destination—part of a larger artistic map connecting people, place, and possibility.
The W.T. & Louise J. Moran Foundation Connections Series continues its nomadic, site-specific approach, transforming venues across Houston into intimate, immersive musical encounters, with some concerts curated by ROCO musicians themselves.
New Paths, New Voices
Season 22 brings together a dynamic roster of conductors, including Artistic Partners Delyana Lazarova and Mei-Ann Chen, returning guest conductor Rei Hotoda, and the ROCO debut of Kensho Watanabe—each guiding audiences through distinct musical journeys.
ROCO also welcomes Jessica Meyer as Composer In Residence, whose work will focus on themes of inner and outer resonance—exploring how sound interacts with both physical environments and human experience. Her contributions span orchestral and chamber works throughout the season, including a meditative new piece incorporating Tibetan singing bowls.
Further expanding ROCO’s creative leadership, the organization names Ben Doyle, co-founder of BEND Productions, as its newest Artistic Partner—recognizing his integral role in shaping ROCO’s innovative livestreaming and digital performance experiences.
Seven World Premieres: Expanding the Future of Classical Music
Continuing its leadership in commissioning new work, ROCO presents seven commissioned world premieres that amplify a wide spectrum of creative voices and perspectives. Opening the season is Visions by Leanna Primiani, a multimedia concerto for orchestra that explores perception, access, and systemic inequity through a richly layered, multisensory experience. Alison Shearer’s new work for alto saxophone and chamber orchestra draws inspiration from the 1960s and 70s paintings of her father, award-winning LIFE photojournalist John Shearer, translating visual memory into sound.
Composer In Residence Jessica Meyer contributes new works that investigate resonance and environment, examining how sound interacts with both physical space and human experience. Grammy-winning video game composer Austin Wintory’s new concerto for guitarist Mak Grgić introduces an interactive element, incorporating audience-driven technology to shape the performance in real time, while Maxime Goulet’s The Return of Wolf Suite vividly honors the animal’s strength and beauty in motion.
ROCO’s Season 22 commissions culminate in Listen by Raphaelle Thibaut, a multidisciplinary work inspired by the life of deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie. Integrating dancers and an American Sign Language movement artist, the piece expands the very definition of musical communication—embodying ROCO’s commitment to innovation, accessibility, and deeply human storytelling.
Landmark Collaborations & Immersive Experiences
In The W.T. & Louise J. Moran Foundation Connections Series, ROCO deepens its collaborative spirit through innovative, cross-disciplinary experiences that extend beyond the traditional concert format.
A new partnership with Opera Hispánica brings Tango Opera to ARTECHOUSE, where music, movement, and immersive digital art converge in a vibrant, genre-defying performance, featuring animation by James Templeton. The season also marks ROCO’s return to the historic River Oaks Theatre with a live performance of the 1920s silent film Phantom of the Opera, newly reimagined with an original score performed in real time, conducted and composed by returning artist Andrew Earle Simpson. Further expanding its exploration of sound and space, ROCO engages audiences in unique acoustic environments, including a performance inviting deep listening and reflection at Asia Society Texas Center that features bassoonist Kristin Wolfe Jensen joined by Tibetan singing bowls.
Across the city, ROCO musicians take the lead in shaping deeply personal and place-driven programs. Tubist Ali Jackson brings an energetic, rhythm-infused performance to Texas Southern University, joined by steel drums in a program that bridges classical and global traditions. At the historic Julia Ideson Library, violinist Eva Burmeister curates an intimate chamber evening joined by baritone, piano, and cello, blending voice and strings in richly expressive settings.
The ever-popular Beer & Brass returns in a lively new locale at Saengerhalle, where the ROCO Brass Quintet performs spirited arrangements of traditional beer hall favorites alongside beloved tunes, paired with brews from Saint Arnold Brewing Company. The series culminates at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where cellist Philip Borter shares a program inspired by his Fulbright research in Brazil, highlighting chamber works that reflect the depth and diversity of Brazilian musical traditions.
Beyond the Concert Hall
ROCO continues to creatively engage the community with ROCO Revelry on September 26th at ARTECHOUSE, activating the fully immersive digital space for an evening of musical discovery and adventure, in celebration of its 22nd season. In September, ROCO also participates in the multidisciplinary exhibition Look At Me. What Do You See? at the Health Museum, presented in collaboration with Made a Masterpiece, featuring the orchestra’s performance of Anthem of Hope as part of a broader artistic dialogue centered on identity, perception, and visibility.
Audience-favorite experiences return throughout the season, including Make a Joyful Noise in December—a relaxed evening of wine tasting and gourmet bites at Padre’s Wine Company, where adults are invited to explore and try instruments from across the orchestra in a welcoming, judgment-free setting. In June, ROCO Resound: Savor further connects audiences with the creative process through an evening pairing curated wines with newly commissioned works, as composers join virtually to preview their pieces and engage directly with patrons.
A Call to Adventure
“ROCO Odyssey is about exploration—of sound, of self, and of each other,” says Founder and Artistic Director Alecia Lawyer. “It’s about stepping into new spaces, hearing new voices, and discovering what connects us.”
2026-27 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
ROCO’s full 40-piece orchestra performances, with musicians from all over the US and Canada and guest artists from around the world.
Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation
IN CONCERT SERIES
EYES ON THE HORIZON
Friday, Sep. 25, 2026 | 7:30 pm
Miller Outdoor Theatre
Saturday, Sep. 26, 2026 | 5:00 pm
The Church of St. John the Divine
ROCO Revelry following | Artechouse | 7:30 pm
Delyana Lazarova, conductor
World premieres by Alison Shearer and Leanna Primiani, alongside Sonus Colorum by Jonathan Peters and Symphony No. 3 by Nino Rota
FELLOW TRAVELERS
Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026 | 5:00 pm
Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026 | 2:00 pm
Ismaili Center
Rei Hotoda, conductor
Featuring a world premiere by Composer In Residence Jessica Meyer, plus works by Arvo Pärt, Marcus Karl Maroney, and Ludwig van Beethoven
PURE IMAGINATION
Saturday, Feb. 13, 2027 | 5:00 pm
Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center for the Perfoming Arts
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
Interactive world premieres by Austin Wintory and Maxime Goulet, alongside Mozart and Mahler with ROCO’s own principal winds as soloists
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
Saturday, May 1, 2027 | 5:00 pm
Brockman Hall for Opera, Rice University
Kensho Watanabe, conductor
Featuring the world premiere of Listen by Raphaelle Thibaut, works by Anthony DiLorenzo and Felix Mendelssohn, and a side-by-side collaboration with Houston Youth Symphony
Nomadic in nature, site-specific collaborative chamber concerts, transforming venues across Houston into intimate, immersive musical encounters, with some concerts curated by ROCO musicians themselves.
CONNECTIONS SERIES
ALI JACKSON, TUBA
Saturday, October 10, 2026 | 5:00 pm
Charles P. Rhinehart Music Auditorium, Texas Southern University
FROM SILENCE TO SOUND
Friday, October 23, 2026 | 8:00 pm
River Oaks Theatre
EVA BURMEISTER, VIOLIN
Friday, December 4, 2026 | 7:30 pm
Julia Ideson Library
BEER & BRASS
Thursday, January 14, 2027 | 6:30 pm
Saengerhalle
TANGO OPERA
Friday, January 22, 2027 | 7:30 pm
Artechouse Houston
BASSOON & BOWLS
Saturday, April 3, 2027
Asia Society Texas Center
PHILIP BORTER, CELLO
Saturday, April 17, 2027 | 5:00 pm
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
SPECIAL EVENTS
ROCO REVELRY
Saturday, September 26, 2026 | Artechouse | 7:00 pm
A digitally immersive celebration after the opening night concert!
MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE
Thursday, December 10, 2026 | Padre’s Wine Company | 6:30 pm
Adult Instrument Petting Zoo and Wine Night
ROCO RESOUND: SAVOR
June 2027 | Soren’s
About ROCO
Deeply local, yet globally impactful, ROCO, Houston’s Chamber Orchestra is a 40-piece professional music ensemble that joyfully shapes the future of classical music through unparalleled innovation and accessibility. Comprised of preeminent musicians and guest artists from around the world, ROCO has pioneered digital engagement by livestreaming free to all seven continents since 2013 and offering tech-integrated digital programs through their custom app. With 155 commissioned world premieres that pair modern voices with rarely-heard gems, ROCO further expands the reach of the arts through initiatives such as ROCO on the Go, the unprecedented use of QR codes to their past performances in parks, hospitals, and schools. Known as one of the most accessible ensembles, their concerts have been performed in over 80 venues in Houston, garnering ‘at capacity’ audience through their Pay-What-You-Wish ticketing model, and engaging a multigenerational audience through ROCOrooters music education and childcare program during and after concerts.
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