ROCO Connections: Voices of Vietnam was recorded at Asia Society Texas Center on March 29th, 2025, spotlighting music by Asian artists and composers, exploring the experiences of Vietnamese immigrants.
Tenor Nicholas Phan featured in the world premiere of Season 20 Composer-In-Residence Viet Cuong’s song cycle, telling the story of his family’s escape from Saigon, complemented by Viet Cuong’s driving septet Pulse Train.
Emmy Award-winning composer and traditional musician Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ and the Blood Moon Orchestra trio joined ROCO string musicians, creating music that blends the wonderfully unique sounds of Vietnamese instruments with classical chamber music, fusing deeply rooted musical traditions with fresh new structures.
PROGRAM
Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ, Guest Artist
Jorge Parodi, Conductor
Nicholas Phan, Tenor
Văn Thành Nho, Arr. Vanessa Võ: Lullaby For A Country
George Gershwin, Arr. Vanessa Võ: Summertime
Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ: Encounter, Running
Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ: Verdant River Delta
Viet Cuong: Pulse Train
Viet Cuong: Second Shore
ROCO Commissioned World Premiere
Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ: Lullaby For A Country – A New Day
III. Sorrow
IV. Fire
