River Oaks Chamber Orchestra is delighted to announce our 2010-2011 season, which will be “the most fun you can have with serious music”. The season features three concert weekends with the full 40-piece chamber orchestra, four “Music Tastings,” a solo concert series that features individual ROCO musicians, and several exciting collaborations. 2010-2011 Season Schedule ROCO IN…
Calling all amateur musicians!
ROCO is launching a Pro-Am Chamber Music Program. This program is for all of you who used to play an instrument: Dust it off and sign up for regular rehearsals and professional coaching by ROCO musicians. Pro-am musicians will be organized in chamber music groups: trios, quintets, etc. No auditions are required – just sign…
JoAnn Falletta Returns for 2010-2011
We’re delighted to announce that JoAnn Falletta will return as guest conductor for our 2010-2011 Season Opener, October 16-17. The New York Times calls Ms. Falletta, “one of the finest conductors of her generation.” The Season Opener program will include ROCO’s own principal bassist, Sandor Ostlund, who will premiere an original composition created especially for…
>Voices of the Bayou: An Interview with Janice Van Dyke Walden about the Buffalo Bayou Project
>Transcript of Conductor, Robert Moody’s interview with Janice Van Dyke Walden at the ROCO Season Finale at Bayou Bend, April 18, 2010 Tell us, what is the Buffalo Bayou Project?For me, the Buffalo Bayou Project started as just the documentary, in the traditional sense of one film. But over the last two years, it has…
>Houston Chronicle: Buffalo Bayou gets a soundtrack
>Read Tara Dooley’s excellent story about Brad Sayles’ Buffalo Bayou Suite:http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/6951386.html
>Brad Sayles on The Buffalo Bayou Suite
> In the early spring of 2009, I was approached by Alecia Lawyer with an exciting proposition involving a commission for a film score. Always excited for a project with ROCO, I agreed to meet with Endangered Species Media Project. The original idea for this piece was to be a musical score to accompany a…
>New Kristin Wolfe Jensen CD Released!
> ROCO principal bassoonist, Kristin Wolfe Jensen, has a new CD: “Virko Baley’s Parables & Reflections.” From Kristin: “Having performed Virko Baley’s works in Australia, England, New York, Las Vegas and Austin, I am thrilled that they are now captured on CD! The vivid characters he creates, and the great passions he injects are unrivaled in…
>Audience Texts at Conductorless!
>We love hearing from you during our concerts. At the Take 5 break during our Feb 13th concert, you texted these messages to us: “I love the balance of the group. My heart follows every note.”“Amazing job! Happy Chinese New Year!!” “LOVED Simone. Bravo! And conductorless format is very interesting, it’s much more intimate.” “Wow…
>Rest in peace, Beth Newdome
> We are mourning the loss of violinist, Beth Newdome, who lost her battle with cancer on February 13, 2010. Beth played with ROCO during Season 4. We are repeating her obituary announcement from the Feb 16, Mansfield News Journal. MANSFIELD ~ A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint pictures on silence. ~ Leopold Stokowski Beth…
>Why Conductorless?
> Wikipedia defines conductorless as “a unique style of collaborative leadership in which the musicians interpret the music, not the conductor.” Performing conductorless requires collaboration, mutual respect, and “radical trust” It empowers the individual musicians in a way that translates into an exciting experience for the audience. Removing the “wall” between orchestra and audience exposes…
>We love to hear from you!
>THANK YOU, Daryl Crown, for your letter about our October concert at Chapelwood United Methodist Church: “I continue to be amazed at the variety and talent of the performers that come to Chapelwood through the Evans Art Series. To put my comments in context, I am not a follower of the musical arts, and, to…
>Unifying Cultures through Music
>The great 19th century poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, said “Music is the universal language of all mankind.” Never has this been more apparent than in the musical programming and creative collaborations found in River Oaks Chamber Orchestra’s fifth season. ROCO invites the audience into a musical conversation that transcends cultures and generations. This season, every…