This weekend we are so thrilled to welcome back one of the most beloved guests to ROCO’s podium – conductor Mei-Ann Chen, now as ROCO’s first-ever Artistic Partner! Though audiences may know her from previous appearances, there are a few fun tidbits we discovered – such as the unexpected career she might have if she weren’t a musician. Read on to learn more about Mei-Ann!
Making visible, the invisible: a ROCOInsider Q&A with composer Lisa Bielawa
The first world premiere commission of ROCO’s 15th season “Coming Of Age,” takes audiences back in time for a poignant glimpse into the everyday lives of five American women, giving voice to their unique yet unknown experiences for the first time – in Lisa Bielawa’s Centuries in the Hours, written for mezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin.
FIFteen Project Composers
To celebrate their milestone fifteenth season, ROCO will present a record-breaking 21 new commissions, bringing their total to a whopping 100 distinct premieres since their formation in 2005. Throughout the season, 15 of these new works — comprising the project FIFteen: Fanfares, Interludes, and Finales, organized by Mark Buller — will be sprinkled among each series. This brand-new body of work will serve as a “tasting menu” of sorts by allowing the audience brief glimpse into a wide array of diverse composers and their music. The featured composers are as follows:
ROCO Rocks Classical Music, World Premieres In 15th Season Kickoff | Houston Press
The month of September heralds the start of a new arts season, speckled with fresh interpretations of older shows as well as never before seen or heard new works.
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Every commission has a unique story, but they all have a similar path. ROCO commissions an average of 10 new works each season and will have performed the world premiere of nearly 80 commissioned new works by the end of the current season.
Classical Music CD Reviews: ROCO’s “Visions Take Flight,” Nordic Affect’s “He(a)r,” and “John Cage: Guitar.”
Visions Take Flight is one of those rarest of accomplishments: a contemporary music album that’s a sheer joy to listen to, from start to finish. Nordic Affect’s concept album manages to make and leave a strong emotional impact
New music, ancestral tradition: a ROCOInsider Q&A with composer Erberk Eryilmaz
Capping off ROCO’s 14th season of “Games People Play,” our final world premiere commission pays tribute to a game blending skill, strength, and artistic expression – the sport of traditional Turkish wrestling! We sat down with composer Erberk Eryılmaz to learn more about the inspiration for his new work, and his unique journey as a musician, taking him cross-continent from his native Turkey, all the way to Texas.
ARTISTIC PARTNERS, NEW WORKS, AND HISTORIC MUSICAL MOMENTS: HOUSTON’S ROCO AT 15 | Arts and Culture TX
STEVEN BROWN, APRIL 30, 2019 Photo: ROCO in Concert: Queen of Hearts, Nov. 2018; Mei-Ann Chen, conducting. Photo by Blueprint Film Co. Don’t hold your breath waiting for Houston’s River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (ROCO) to anoint a conductor as its music director. Being player-driven is in ROCO’s DNA. But founder-oboist Alecia Lawyer wants to bring in…
Connecting through creation: a ROCOInsider Q&A with muralist Jessica Padilla
Meet the artist of ROCO’s new interactive Mini Mural, Jessica Padilla, as we explore all that went into the process of making our musical vision come to life, and discover what she loves about being an artist and art teacher.
Introducing ROCO’s New Interactive Mini Mural!
ROCO’s Mini Mural invites you into our musical world to interact with instruments of the orchestra. Share your own photos with #ROCOPlay!
Catching the tune: a ROCOInsider Q&A with trumpeter George Chase
Curated by ROCO trumpeter George Chase, discover how the program of ROCO Unchambered: Chase Sequence came together, why it’s such a challenge for the musicians, and what George finds most rewarding about arranging for the quintet – in this edition of ROCOInsider!
ROCO to perform game-changing brass piece | Houston Chronicle
A game player has three responsibilities: Gobble up the dots. Travel through the maze. Avoid the ghosts…Although the arcade game, released in 1980, wasn’t the inspiration for Chicago-based composer James Stephenson when creating “Chase Sequence,” it’s certainly a fitting analogy, particularly when Houston’s River Oaks Chamber Orchestra will perform the piece Saturday in a concert that closes its “Unchambered” series in a season titled “Games People Play.”
