ROCO is thrilled to release its first children’s book, The Nightingale—based upon Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, with original illustrations and commissioned music!
The Nightingale is a spectacular piece for violin, clarinet, piano, and narrator that ROCO commissioned by Hong Kongese-Canadian composer Kevin Lau and premiered in 2018 by ROCO Concertmaster Scott St. John, Principal Clarinet, Nathan Williams, and Lau as pianist. To help bring the story to life, ROCO commissioned illustrations from Amy Scheidegger Ducos which were projected during the premiere performance, which lent themselves beautifully to the creation of the book. ROCO also invited Chinese native, Miya Shay, Houston’s ABC13 anchor, to narrate the story.
With access as our number one value, ROCO will donate copies of the book to Houston Public Libraries, Houston Independent School District elementary campuses for their music classes, and other organizations focusing on multi-generational audiences and engagement. ROCO believes that classical music should be enjoyed by all ages!
The book includes three QR codes to the piece, one to the music and narration, one to the music with page turn prompts, and one to simply the music, so you or your children can read the delightfully colorful story while bringing the joy of classical music into your children’s lives.
LISTEN
Music With Narration
Instrumental Music with a Bell Prompt
Instrumental Music Only
ABOUT ROCO
ROCO is a dynamic and innovative professional chamber orchestra that flexes from 1 to 40 musicians from all over the US and Canada, with guest conductors from around the globe. With over 128 world premieres to date, ROCO is one of the most prolific commissioning organizations in the US. A study in 2019 by the Institute for Composer Diversity found that ROCO was the #1 ensemble in the US performing works by women and #2 for composers of color.
ROCO’s debut album, Visions Take Flight, was recognized with a GRAMMY® Award for Producer of the Year, Blanton Alspaugh.
ROCO is known for shaping the future of classical music and has been called an “arts disruptor” and “trailblazer.” Performing in dozens of venues, ROCO concerts are livestreamed for free to a worldwide audience. Audio recordings are regularly broadcast nationally on American Public Media’s Performance Today show and are available for free listening in ROCO’s own Listening Room as well as all popular music streaming services.
The innovative and sector-changing ROCO on the Go! initiative weaves music through the community with QR codes that are planted in parks, hospitals, and schools throughout Houston, pointing to recordings from their vast listening room of past performances with over 30,000 scans, providing access for all.
