Tune in Wednesday evenings at 8pm throughout the month of August for an all-new series of broadcast concerts featuring Houston’s own River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (ROCO), hosted by Elaine Kennedy, on Classical 91.7FM and online at classical917.org. Each week Elaine will showcase a different classic ROCO concert, so be sure to tune in to hear your…
Feast Your Ears: Announcing the ROCO 2012-2013 Season!
ROCO’s 2012-2013 Season is a “Feast for the Ears,” with delectable guest artists, delicious main concerts, a tantalizing new chamber series, bombastic percussion premiere, plus appetizing artistic and community collaborations. The season includes two subscription series plus numerous creative collaborations. Read the Announcement Read the CultureMap story by Joel Luks Subscribe Now!
Alecia Lawyer on Houston Arts Radio
On July 12, Kim Lykins, Executive Director of Texas Foundation for the Arts and host of Houston Arts Radio, talked with Alecia Lawyer about ROCO and the Houston arts scene. Listen to it here. HouArtsRadio4-12-12
You are here because of me…
The libretto of “Maternity” begins with the narrator singing to her child “You are here because of me.” The narrator then begins to reflect back on her maternal line, paying homage to twenty-one mothers, stretching far back in time. The music is organized as a theme and variations on a lullaby, introduced under the opening…
Founding Mothers: An ode to my matriarchs
From Anthony Brandt, composer of Maternity: Today, the federal government published the census data from 1940, enabling us to trace our parents and grandparents at a crucial moment in US history. Where were they? What were they doing? It is that curiosity about our heritage that animates in the libretto of “Maternity.” The text is…
What a miracle we’re all here!
From Anthony Brandt, composer of Maternity: Last week, I went to Sir Ken Robinson’s lecture for the Progressive Forum on creativity and education. Sir Ken started by saying what a miracle it is each of us is alive: if we trace our lineage back even a few generations, the chances of our being born seem…
Music and Literature Combine with Exciting Results in Elena Ruehr’s Bel Canto
Bel Canto, the 2001 winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, by author Ann Patchett, follows the story of an evening of opera gone horribly awry. The book takes place in an unknown South American country, during a party in which the star attraction is a beautiful American Soprano. In the midst of the celebration,…
Maureen Nelson on her Chamber Concert March 4th
ROCO violinist, Maureen Nelson, will present a chamber concert on Sunday afternoon, March 4th, 4:00pm, at Gremillion & Co. Fine Art, 2501 Sunset. Maureen keeps a busy touring schedule with engagements both across the US and abroad. She is a founding member and first violinist of the Grammy-nominated Enso String Quartet, which formed while Maureen earned…
String Quartet to present a multimedia performance Feb 23 in Cullen Hall
Filmed in 1916, the silent movie Deschutes Driftwood will be given new life by composer Dr. Elena Ruehr in our ROCO String Quartet Concert on February 23rd. The film follows the life of a traveling a hobo by the name of Weak Knees Walter, who travels the rails along the Deschutes River in Oregon. The…
Paul English and the Inspiration for Lumiere Lunaire
“Moonstruck and moondrunk / the white-faced clown/ that intoxicated poet of wine that only eyes may drink/ Pierrot…” So begins the poem Pierrot Lunaire , written by renowned conductor and ROCO friend, JoAnn Falletta. The poem, originally inspired by Arnold Schoenberg’s 1912 composition of the same name, has in turn motivated Paul English to compose Lumiere…
ROCO Welcomes Dynamic Guest Conductor Kazem Abdullah
We are delighted to have Maestro Kazem Abdullah join us for our February concert. Quickly becoming one of the most sought after young conductors on the classical scene and named #4 on the Daily Beast’s list of “Young Rock Stars of the Conducting World.”, Maestro Abdullah has conducted all over the world, including with the…
Alecia Lawyer talks about the World Premiere of Paul English’s Lumiere Lunaire
I am very excited about our premiere by Paul English. Many Houstonians know him as a fabulous jazz pianist. He is a brilliant musician, no matter the genre. When I asked him to write ROCO a piece, I gave him carte blanche. I did, however, give him a book of poetry by Jo Ann Falletta,…
