In ROCO’s Unchambered Series, audiences don’t just enjoy a musician-curated chamber concert—they also get to know our artists personally through the programs they present, and through interactive Q&A during the performance!
Ahead of Saturday’s series-opener, we asked Founder, Artistic Director, and principal oboist Alecia Lawyer and principal keyboardist Audrey Andrist a few burning questions—read on to learn how they each got started with music, plus discover some of their faves, and more:
Where did you grow up, and what were your first musical experiences?
Audrey: I grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. My first experiences of music were listening to CBC Radio which played lots of classical music, and listening to my dad’s amazing record collection of jazz and big band music (Duke Ellington was his favorite). My dad was a farmer and my mom a librarian, but they were both excellent amateur musicians. My mom was the organist in our church for 65 years (!) and my dad was a drummer, and had a dance band that played a lot of gigs in our area.
Alecia: A small town by Tyler, TX! My mom was a choir director, piano teacher, and my elementary music teacher earlier. My dad was my band director. I had mom for second period and dad for third period through high school! I got to try every instrument in my dad’s band hall, and I believe I sang before I spoke!
How did you come to specialize in your instrument?
Audrey: As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be a pianist. It never occurred to me to want to do anything else actually! I started lessons when I was 6 years old and became obsessed, and I am still obsessed!
Alecia: Mom wanted me to play something different ,and I don’t mind standing out in a crowd (shocker…) so oboe it was, even from the beginning. I did learn snare drum to be able to march with a drum, and then served as drum major. Those cymbals were really awful to deal with! So that is why I am such a percussion-ophile.
Favorite non-classical music?
Audrey: Jazz and old-fashioned big band, for sure. Also when I was in college, I owned ALL of Billy Joel’s albums!
Alecia: 80’s rock!
Favorite movie(s)?
Audrey: That’s a tough one. Probably E.T.
Alecia: Aside from the movies everyone knows I love [editor’s note: Star Wars!] – Knight’s Tale, Pretty Woman, Galaxy Quest
Favorite food(s)?
Audrey: My favorite food is good food, haha! No seriously, I do enjoy many types of food—probably Thai is a clear favorite though.
Alecia: Indian, Thai green chicken curry, high tea, fried chicken, burned okra, slightly dirty Martinis, unusual wines. I can’t eat the same thing every day. Always up for something different!
Favorite place(s) to travel?
Audrey: Houston! And also Europe.
Alecia: France, Japan, Scotland—ANYWHERE!
If you weren’t a professional musician, what other job might you be doing?
Audrey: I never wanted to do anything except music/piano. But if I had to do something else, I would be interested in working in an art gallery, because visual art is a great passion of mine. I would also love to volunteer at my local library to read to children, because I adore children’s literature.
Alecia: Selling real estate.
Favorite aspects of performing chamber music, versus performing in a full orchestra?
Audrey: Definitely the camaraderie and level of musical communication we can have in a chamber group, because there aren’t very many of us so we can always hear each other really deeply. I love listening to my chamber music colleagues on that very personal level, and sharing that communication with our audiences.
Alecia: In ROCO, there is no difference. We are not the Borg…but we are one organism, performing large chamber music. So I get the best of both worlds with ROCO!
Thanks so much Audrey and Alecia!
Come and experience the magic of this dynamic duo this Saturday, October 19th, at 5 pm at Horizon on Sunset—and bring your own questions and curiosity—tickets are Pay-What-You-Wish, online or at door!
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