Pictured left to right: Rebecca Fischer, Audrey Andrist, Nathan Williams, Alexis Gerlach
HOUSTON, TX – ROCO’s Connections Series continues with Quartet for All Time, a chamber concert of emotional resonance featuring a stellar quartet of ROCO musicians. The performance occurs on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at 5:00 PM, at Texas Southern University’s Charles P. Rhinehart Music Auditorium, and is sponsored by Frost Bank.
Featuring Rebecca Fischer (violin), Alexis Gerlach (cello), Nathan Williams (clarinet), and Audrey Andrist (piano), the evening’s thoughtfully curated program channels music’s power to reflect and uplift in times of sorrow and remembrance. The centerpiece is the ROCO Co-Commissioned World Premiere of composer James Stephenson’s Quartet for a New Tomorrow, written as a direct companion piece to Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. Composed while Messiaen was a prisoner of war in 1941, the original quartet represents a profound testament to hope and resilience in the face of adversity. The concert pits excerpts from Messiaen’s 20th-century masterpiece alongside Stephenson’s new quartet in a conversation between past and present. The program further explores contrasts of sound and spirit with the addition of Pierre Jalbert’s Street Antiphons, a lively work that intermingles chaotic rhythms of street music with sacred music’s suspended reflection.
The performance marks a notable debut at Texas Southern University’s newly renovated Charles P. Rhinehart Music Auditorium, adding to ROCO’s growing list of over 80 venues throughout Houston. Originally built in the 1940s as a synagogue, the auditorium was acquired by the university in 1958, but unfortunately closed its doors in 2018 due to flooding from Hurricane Harvey. Reopened in May 2025 after a $3.5 million renovation, this concert is one of the first to take place in the fully refurbished space, which now features powered seating for 300 and an enhanced stage, providing audiences with optimal comfort and viewing.
Pay What You Wish tickets for the concert are available now on the ROCO official event page, with a free livestream at roco.org/live, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch, and on the ROCO mobile app.
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