She Once Lost to Willie Nelson, Now She’s Making the Lone Star State Listen.
Alecia Lawyer doesn’t just play the oboe. She plays with expectations. The Houston-based musician and founder of River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (ROCO) has built an orchestra known as much for its daring spirit as its musical excellence. Now, she’s leading ROCO into its 21st season with a new honor that underscores her impact on Texas’s cultural landscape.
The Texas State Legislature, in partnership with the Texas Commission on the Arts, named Lawyer the inaugural 2025 Texas State Musician–Classical. The new category recognizes Texas luminaries in classical music, including the renowned soprano and Shepherd School of Music professor Ana Maria Martinez, who will hold the title in 2026.
A Real Texas Honor
Alecia Lawyer’s roots in Texas music run deep. In 2009, she was a finalist for Texas State Musician – losing only to Willie Nelson.
As founder, artistic director and principal oboist of an orchestra that can flex to 40 musicians, Lawyer blends creativity with business savvy. Yet two traits define her most clearly: she loves music, and she loves ROCO.
“People have been celebrating in ways I would have never expected — from jumping up and down to a donor who personally brought a generous gift to the office,” Lawyer tells PaperCity. “It’s so fun, and it’s going to open new doors for classical music.”
Leaning into her Texas roots, Lawyer hopes to tour the state with Martinez to highlight the influence of the Texas marching bands. “An instrument in a student’s hands in school becomes a throughline to becoming an engaged audience member,” she says, noting that music education builds future music listeners.
Lawyer is no stranger to the spotlight, and she doesn’t mind a brighter one. “I never mind when I’m speaking about ROCO and all the other artists,” she says.
That passion for her orchestra defines her work. Lawyer fashioned ROCO with an ethos formed by her deeply held personal values. She has profound respect for each musician as an individual artist. Lawyer also looks for members who contribute to the élan the orchestra is known for and help achieve its high level of musicianship.
ROCO performs for an open-air audience at Miller Outdoor Theatre. (Photo courtesy ROCO)Musicians with a Mission
Recently, Lawyer extended her commitment to individuality and community through Musicians with a Mission. This new program allows ROCO musicians to design and run their own outreach projects, supported by the ROCO team.
She hopes this first-of-its-kind initiative will serve as a blueprint for arts outreach. “I’m not a micromanager of creativity,” Lawyer says. “I want to pour into the uniqueness of each individual artist.”
This year, internationally recognized principal clarinetist Nathan Williams became ROCO’s first Musician with a Mission. He began working in hospice and palliative care, training as a hospice volunteer.
“Nathan has chosen to help with the transition — to usher people into the great beyond with music,” Lawyer notes.
Williams has already built relationships with Houston’s independent living and skilled nursing communities. His work inspired ROCO’s distinguished composer-in-residence Kevin Lau to honor him with a clarinet concertino dubbed At the Still Turning Point of the Turning World. Audiences heard the world premiere at ROCO’s first concerts of the season.
ROCO principal clarinetist Nathan Williams launched the first Musicians with a Mission project. (Photo by Ray Kuglar)Expanding the Silo Of Classical Music
Two other Lau compositions also reflect Lawyer’s goal of expanding what she calls “the silo of classical music.”
Lau charmed ROCO audiences with The Nightingale, based on the Hans Christian Anderson tale and narrated by Lawyer. After success onstage, ROCO released its first children’s book, featuring colorful illustrations and QR codes linking to the music. The digital version cleverly includes bell prompts for added interactivity.
In a different mood, Lau’s haunting Between the Earth and Forever — a concerto for erhu and chamber orchestra — was inspired by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield’s experiences. The erhu, a two-stringed Chinese bowed instrument, is known for its emotional resonance and distinctive sound.
ROCO composer-in-residence Kevin Lau composed several of the orchestra’s recent premieres. (Photo by David Leyes)A Genre-less World
Alecia Lawyer envisions music without boundaries. “Why do you have to call something ‘classical’?” she says. “Like great fusion restaurants or composer-musician Jon Batiste — known for his limitless style that blends genres — that’s how I see the world.”
Lawyer calls her work “wildcatting in the arts.” She ventures into untested creative territory with courage and boldness. Many ROCO commissions explore the intersection of music and technology, blending live performance with electronic elements, video and original animation.
These projects fulfill Lawyer’s programming goal: to pair bold new works by living composers with masterpieces from classical music’s greatest names.
Bach, Beethoven and Ravel will share the program with a ROCO-commissioned world premiere from Emmy Award-winning John Wineglass in a concert set for this Saturday, November 1 at The Church of St. John the Divine. The expressive Mei-Ann Chen will conduct.
ROCO performed under the direction of Delyana Lazarova in February 2024. (Photo by Violeta Alvarez)Although Houston is ROCO’s home, Lawyer notes: “The world is our stage.” The orchestra has performed in 79 venues to date.
While a few concerts are held at St. John the Divine, Miller Outdoor Theatre and Rice University’s Brockman Hall, ROCO’s Connection Series brings music to venues from the bayou to the boulevard. These include the River Oaks Theatre, Asia Society Texas Center, St. Arnold Brewing Co., the Charles P. Rhinehart Music Auditorium at Texas Southern University, MD Anderson Cancer Center and ARTECHOUSE Houston.
ROCO’s reach extends from Houston to the world, and its adventurous energy reflects the woman at its helm. Alecia Lawyer may capture that spirit best herself.
“Contemporary music is an adventure,” she says. “I want to take people on an adventure.”
ROCO in Concert: Fragrant Memories will be performed this Saturday, November 1 at The Church of St. John the Divine, 2450 River Oaks Boulevard. For tickets and information, go here.
Leave A Reply