Announcing Season 20!

Season Highlights

The 2024-2025 season brings forth new collaborative artistic partners, introduces new concert venues and marks a significant milestone by reaching 150 world premiere commissions.

Conductor Delyana Lazarova joins the roster of ROCO’s artistic partners that includes conductor Mei-Ann Chen and concertmaster Scott St. John. Lazarova will again lead ROCO’s Side-by-Side performance with selected students from the Houston Youth Symphony. ROCO was attracted by Lazarova’s energy, clarity, and drive.

“I’m delighted and honored to join ROCO as an artistic partner,” says Lazarova. “The ensemble’s innovative programming and the close relationship with leading composers of our time resonated with me instantly.”

Also returning to the podium are ROCO favorites JoAnn Falletta and Alastair Willis.

New venues include the newly-renovated River Oaks Theater for a silent film plus live music evening, as well as the Dan Flavin Installation at Richmond Hall at the Menil Collection, the DeLUXE Theater, and the Horizon on Sunset Art Gallery and Event Center.

One of Jazz Houston’s founders, Vincent Gardner, will compose a work based on the music of Henry Mancini for the full chamber orchestra. The season-opening concert also features multiple commissioned videos and animation pieces from Houston-based artists.

Commissioned World Premieres

ROCO Composer-In-Residence Viet Cuong will debut his latest creation, “Constellations.” This innovative piece is a visual and auditory experience, with each movement featuring musicians positioned to mirror the stars of various constellations when viewed from above. Cuong’s aesthetic leads audiences to experience the convergence of celestial bodies and musical expression. Cuong will also present a poignant song cycle inspired by his family’s escape from Saigon. This deeply personal work will showcase tenor Nicholas Phan, marking his return to ROCO.

Composer Clarice Assad will be featured in a mini-residency with a piano concerto composed for pianist Lara Downes titled “Total Eclipse” and “The Evolution of AI”, which follows the journey of a human-AI hybrid being as it reboots, collects data, learns, and creates music. The work will be performed by Assad using electronic instruments employing artificial intelligence to generate sound.

Additional commissioned world premieres include a special piece titled “John the Revelator” by Houston composer Mark Buller, which pays homage to the space where ROCO originated, The Church of St. John the Divine, a November world premiere by Juan Pablo Contreras created specifically for the Day of the Dead, and a compelling composition titled “No Grit, No Pearl” by Jonathan Leshnoff.

Reimagining the Chamber Orchestra

ROCO, with its habit of performing works rescored for chamber orchestra, will present Gustav Holst‘s “The Planets,” reorchestrated by composer James Stephenson in celebration of Holst’s 150th birthday, during the September opening concert. Additionally, John Wineglass‘ “Cityscapes,” originally written for full orchestra and now rescored for chamber orchestra, will accompany footage of Houston to kick off the season.

The season will conclude with the epic “Rite of Spring” by Igor Stravinsky, rescored by Marlijn Helder.

Selected programs will be enhanced with commentary by ROCO Principal Percussionist Matthew McClung. His “Matt’s Musings” will be delivered to audiences via the ensemble’s digital program in real-time during the performance.

ROCO has structured its programming around three varied concert series. The Albert & Margaret Alkek Foundation In Concert Series features the full 40-piece chamber orchestra, collaborating with guest conductors alongside ROCO’s diverse musicians. This series is characterized by playful titles that interpret the letters of ROCO, representing remarkable, outspoken, courageous, and optimistic themes.

The Unchambered Series showcases individual ROCO musicians curating their own chamber concerts. The Connections Series presents site-specific concerts developed in collaboration with partner venues across Houston.

Celebration of Major Achievements

This 20th season celebrates ROCO’s significant achievements, including performances in more than 70 venues throughout Houston, showcasing both chamber and full orchestra ensembles. By the end of the season, ROCO aims to have premiered 150 commissioned works. Additionally, the ROCO on the Go project, which offers access to thousands of musical tracks via QR codes placed in hospitals, parks, schools, and trails across Houston—with plans for expansion nationwide—has seen more than 45,000 scans.

ROCO has been livestreaming performances for free since 2013, leveraging a platform that has reached audiences on all seven continents and in dozens of countries. Moreover, the organization’s Pay What You Wish ticket pricing has proven successful—supported by the ensemble’s investor model, with 95 percent of revenue contributed and 5 percent earned—contributing to its fiscal sustainability.

For tickets and more information on the 20th season, visit ROCO’s website at roco.org.

2024-25 SEASON

The Unchambered Series features concerts curated by individual ROCO musicians, giving them carte blanche to bring their own unique passions into the creation of their programs.

UNCHAMBERED SERIES

October 19, 2024
Horizon on Sunset Art Gallery & Event Center
Featuring Alecia Lawyer, oboe & Audrey Andrist, piano

November 21, 2024
Dan Flavin Installation at Richmond Hall
Featuring Bernhard Scully, horn & Matthew McClung, percussion

Nomadic in nature, the Connections Series continues site-specific collaborative chamber concerts programmed specially for its chosen venues, in partnership with various arts and community organizations.

CONNECTIONS SERIES
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