Houston’s art scene has always been as exceptional as the ever-evolving city itself. And this year, girls rule. Here’s a look at some of the remarkable women who are painting our town beautiful.
ROCO connecting people with games, and music | Houston Chronicle
River Oaks Chamber Orchestra’s founder and artistic director Alecia Lawyer wants to challenge you to a game — specifically, a round of 42.
ROCOInsider: Q&A with Solitaire’s Heather Schmidt
We are excited to bring you another installment of ROCOInsider, as part of this weekend’s events focusing on women in the arts: Friday’s Concert & Conversation and Saturday’s ROCO In Concert: Queen of Hearts!
5 Questions to Alecia Lawyer (Founder & Principal Oboist, ROCO) | I Care If You Listen
Working to “shape the future of classical music by energizing, modernizing, and personalizing the concert experience,” the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (ROCO) finds a unique niche within Houston’s vibrant cultural landscape. Founded in 2005, ROCO has consistently realized this vision by focusing on the development of collaborative, personal relationships with musicians, conductors, composers, local cultural institutions, and other community stakeholders.
ROCOInsider: Q&A with Pathfinder’s Richard Lavenda
We’re back with another installment of ROCOInsider to preview this season’s first ROCO Unchambered concert, Mind Games! This week we chatted with composer Richard Lavenda, ahead of Saturday’s premiere of his most adventurous piece yet – Pathfinder, which incorporates audience input to help influence the piece’s direction in the moment.
ROCOInsider: Q&A with Checkmate’s Maxime Goulet
To kick off Season 14, we are excited to take you behind the scenes of ROCO In Concert: Checkmate with the first installment of ROCOInsider – a series featuring a sneak peek into the varied artistic and technical elements involved in the production of a ROCO concert.
Houston’s ROCO focuses on Works by Women | Arts+Culture Texas
Alecia Lawyer, the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra’s artistic director, introduced the idea discreetly last fall: She and two other musicians devoted a program on the group’s Unchambered series entirely to works by female composers. This season, Lawyer and ROCO are going big with the theme.
The inspiring songs of the ‘Nightingale’ at ROCO | Houston Chronicle
In Kevin Lau’s work, the smallest details are examined with microscopic precision. The Canadian pianist delicately shapes each musical phrase, each moment of harmonic color, while dedicating equal attention to establishing a cohesive sound that ties the piece into a whole.
Season 14 Announced: Subscribe Today!
The 14th season from the innovative Houston-based professional music ensemble features ten world premiere commissions, and a commitment to diversity that sees them presenting a female composer, conductor, or soloist on every concert. New pieces include a musical chess match between piano and orchestra, a tribute to Turkish wrestler Koca Yusuf, a chamber work where audiences vote on their phones to influence the direction of the performance, and many more.
River Oaks Chamber Orchestra serves up a wild and engaging musical feast | Texas Classical Review
A Houston punk rock legend front and center at a classical concert, a virtuoso concertmaster, a stellar bass-baritone singing nursery rhymes and tombstone epitaphs, and three world premieres. Throw in a couple of Dvořák’s Legends and the rarely heard Wood Notes by William Grant Still, and we have a strange brew of a program that surprised and engaged.
‘Love’ is unleashed in conductorless concert | Houston Chronicle
Like a ringmaster leads a circus, conductors direct classical music concerts, presenting various acts or compositions while serving as an intermediary between the audience and the performers.
But the show must go on, with or without, and River Oaks Chamber Orchestra is here to prove it’s possible to have a concert without a conductor, with the return of its annual conductorless concert this weekend at the Church of St. John the Divine.
The Hates’ Christian Kidd Honored in ROCO Commission Legendary Love | HoustonPress
Chicago-based composer Dan Visconti laughs at the idea that some might think that, because of his training and profession, he only listens to classical music. You know, when he’s not locked away in some ivory tower decked out in a white wig, quill pen scribbling away with frenzied genius.
