ROCO’s Connections series opened October 9 with “Mixed Messages”, a celebration of World Post Day—live from Houston’s downtown cultural campus, the POST.

In one of the first public concerts to be held in the former Barbara Jordan Post Office, the evening honored the art of the letter, featuring the ROCO String Quartet led by concertmaster Scott St. John, and joined by Ben Grube, violin; Rainel Joubert, viola; and Shino Hayashi, cello; in selections from Elvis Costello’s The Juliet Letters, sung by baritone Eduardo Tercero, plus selections of Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 1. The concert was in collaboration with Houston Contemporary Dance Company, led by Founding Artistic Director Marlana Doyle, performing original choreography to The Juliet Letters, and featured Guest Artist Houston Poet Laureate Outspoken Bean, in a performance of original poetry inspired by letters among artists.