Video Library Tag: Composers of Color

ROCO's Season 16 Connections series continued via livestream in February, with an intimate concert featuring the music of Margaret Bonds—one of the most prolific Black composers of the 1900s—plus works by composers who influenced or were influenced by her, including Florence Price, Ned Rorem, and Robert Owens.

A rare, previously unknown recording of Margaret Bonds in performance was discovered in the Mastersons’ collection at Rienzi. Produced in collaboration with Rienzi, the concert featured and was curated by returning ROCO favorite, Timothy Jones, bass-baritone, and Howard Watkins on piano.

Recorded at Rienzi, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 4, 2021, by Blueprint Film Co.

ROCO made its debut at the jewel of Houston’s 5th Ward Cultural Arts District, the beautifully renovated historic DeLUXE Theater, on January 25th as we welcomed guest violinist Nicole Cherry in collaboration with ROCO Artistic Partner Scott St. John, presenting an evening of chamber works honoring and inspired by the outstanding contributions of London-based nineteenth-century Afro-European violin virtuoso, George Bridgetower.

A part of Dr. Cherry’s commissioning project, “ForgeWithGeorge”, the premiere of David Wallace’s The Bridgetower featured, for solo violin with creative vocalization—along with Yvette Jackson’s recent commission Remembering 1619 for violin and tape. Fellow ROCO string musicians joined for further works by George Bridgetower, Joseph Bologne – Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Duke Ellington.

Recorded live at The DeLUXE Theater, Houston, Texas, January 25, 2025

ROCO’s Connections series continued on November 19, 2021, presenting Huang Ruo’s A Dust in Time: Passacaglia for Strings at Asia Society Texas Center, and also livestreamed at ROCO.org, Facebook, and YouTube.

The extraordinary was experienced as ROCO’s milestone 20th season opened with “REMARKABLE” – featuring the full 40-piece chamber orchestra in three world premieres plus a new twist on an out-of-this-world classic, presented at Miller Outdoor Theatre on September 27th, hosted by guest emcee Fred Child of American Public Media’s Performance Today.

Under the dynamic direction of Artistic Partner Mei-Ann Chen, the concert featured the ROCO-commissioned world premiere of John Wineglass‘s Cityscapes in a new version for chamber orchestra, enhanced with immersive, panoramic video of Houston, shot by Houston First and edited by BEND Productions. Then, we headed to the stars with the world premiere ROCO commission Constellations by Viet Cuong, ROCO’s Season 20 Composer in Residence, spotlighting “constellations” of ROCO musicians as soloists in each movement. Gustav Holst‘s vivid tour of our solar system, The Planets, completed the galactic journey – featured in a new rescoring by Jim Stephenson, with stunning original animation by James Templeton.

ROCO made its debut at the jewel of Houston’s 5th Ward Cultural Arts District, the beautifully renovated historic DeLUXE Theater, on January 25th as we welcomed guest violinist Nicole Cherry in collaboration with ROCO Artistic Partner Scott St. John, presenting an evening of chamber works honoring and inspired by the outstanding contributions of London-based nineteenth-century Afro-European violin virtuoso, George Bridgetower.

A part of Dr. Cherry’s commissioning project, “ForgeWithGeorge”, the premiere of David Wallace’s The Bridgetower featured, for solo violin with creative vocalization—along with Yvette Jackson’s recent commission Remembering 1619 for violin and tape. Fellow ROCO string musicians joined for further works by George Bridgetower, Joseph Bologne – Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Duke Ellington.

The extraordinary was experienced in ROCO’s milestone 20th season-opening concert “REMARKABLE” – featuring the full 40-piece chamber orchestra in three world premieres plus a new twist on an out-of-this-world classic, recorded live from The Church of St. John the Divine on September 28th, 2024. Under the dynamic direction of Artistic Partner Mei-Ann Chen, we headed to the stars with the world premiere ROCO commission Constellations by Viet Cuong, ROCO’s Season 20 Composer in Residence, spotlighting “constellations” of ROCO musicians as soloists in each movement. Mark Buller‘s powerful ROCO commission John the Revelator pays tribute to ROCO’s home venue of The Church of St. John the Divine, and Gustav Holst‘s vivid tour of our solar system, The Planets, features in a new rescoring by Jim Stephenson.

ROCO's Season 16 Unchambered series opened with “Love Notes,” a nature-inspired program of beauty, respite, and reflection, featuring flutist Rebecca Powell Garfield, oboist Spring Hill, and harpist Laurie Meister, broadcast from the galleries of Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art. Featured artwork is by artist Christina Nicodema, from the exhibit "Mayfly".

Opening the concert was the world premiere of a ROCO commission by Karim Al-Zand, "Dance Interlude for Two Oboes and English Horn", featuring Alecia Lawyer and Spring Hill, joined by Erin Tsai, oboe.

Recorded live at Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art, Houston, Texas, October 17, 2020

Videography by Blueprint Film Co.

Collaboration and innovation were on display in this June 7, 2024 showcase led by ROCO Artistic Partner and conductor Mei-Ann Chen as part of the 2024 League of American Orchestras Conference in Houston. Featuring works by Gabriela Lena Frank, Jennifer Higdon, Errollyn Wallen, Reena Esmail, Heather Schmidt, and Leanna Primiani, and a premiere by Autumn Maria Reed—one of the finalists of ROCO and American Composers Orchestra’s EarShot Call for Scores by early career female composers—this concert highlighted ROCO’s innovative nature, commitment to women composers, and expansion of the classical canon.

ROCO's Connections series continued March 11 with "Journey to America", livestreamed in partnership with Holocaust Museum Houston, and opening with Tim Hinck’s “Fanfare for Rosa”—a 2018 work commissioned by the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, written based on interviews the composer conducted with migrant children, recalling their experiences of entering the United States from South and Central America for the first time.

Featuring musicians Alecia Lawyer, oboe; Maureen Nelson, violin; Suzanne LeFevre, viola; Courtenay Vandiver Pereira, cello; and Chelsea De Souza, piano.

The short, emotionally-charged, fanfare echoes their own journeys, first tinged with terror and trauma, then developing in strength and optimism over its course, to a hope-filled musical response to the immigrant crisis.

ROCO’s 17th season Albert & Margaret Alkek Foundation In Concert Series closed on April 23 with “Tying Up Loose Ends”, live at The Church of St. John the Divine.

Conducted by Rei Hotoda in her ROCO debut, the program centered around the world premiere of ""Plumes"" for large chamber orchestra by Composer-In-Residence Derek Bermel based on J. Henry Fair’s photography collection “Industrial Scars”—capturing the beauty and destruction of industrial and human impacts on our planet—and also included Viet Cuong’s percussion concerto Re(new)al, and a new work by Cynthia Lee Wong, ""In a Blink of an Eye"", commissioned as part of ROCO’s FIFteen Project.

Collaboration and innovation were on display in this June 7, 2024 showcase led by ROCO Artistic Partner and conductor Mei-Ann Chen as part of the 2024 League of American Orchestras Conference in Houston. Featuring works by Gabriela Lena Frank, Jennifer Higdon, Errollyn Wallen, Reena Esmail, Heather Schmidt, and Leanna Primiani, and a premiere by Autumn Maria Reed—one of the finalists of ROCO and American Composers Orchestra’s EarShot Call for Scores by early career female composers—this concert highlighted ROCO’s innovative nature, commitment to women composers, and expansion of the classical canon.

ROCO's 16th season concluded with flair on April 24, 2021 in “Flamenco”, featuring the world premiere of ""The History of Red"", a co-commission by Reena Esmail based on a text by Chickasaw poet Linda Hogan, with soprano Kathryn Mueller as soloist, led by conductor Brett Mitchell.

The program also included the world premiere of Quinn Mason’s Princesa de la Luna for harp and strings, Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Errollyn Wallen’s Photography, and Carlos Surinach’s flamenco for orchestra, Ritmo Jondo, accompanied by live dance from the company Solero Flamenco.

ROCO’s 17th season Albert & Margaret Alkek Foundation In Concert Series closed on April 23 with “Tying Up Loose Ends”, live at The Church of St. John the Divine.

Conducted by Rei Hotoda in her ROCO debut, the program centered around the world premiere of ""Plumes"" for large chamber orchestra by Composer-In-Residence Derek Bermel based on J. Henry Fair’s photography collection “Industrial Scars”—capturing the beauty and destruction of industrial and human impacts on our planet.

The program also included Viet Cuong’s percussion concerto ""Re(new)al"", inspired by types of renewable energies and featuring soloists Craig Hauschildt, Ksenija Komljenović, Todd Meehan, and Doug Perkins, plus a new work by Cynthia Lee Wong, ""In a Blink of an Eye"", as part of ROCO’s FIFteen Project.

ROCO made its debut at the jewel of Houston’s 5th Ward Cultural Arts District, the beautifully renovated historic DeLUXE Theater, on January 25th as we welcomed guest violinist Nicole Cherry in collaboration with ROCO Artistic Partner Scott St. John, presenting an evening of chamber works honoring and inspired by the outstanding contributions of London-based nineteenth-century Afro-European violin virtuoso, George Bridgetower.

A part of Dr. Cherry’s commissioning project, “ForgeWithGeorge”, the premiere of David Wallace’s The Bridgetower featured, for solo violin with creative vocalization—along with Yvette Jackson’s recent commission Remembering 1619 for violin and tape. Fellow ROCO string musicians joined for further works by George Bridgetower, Joseph Bologne – Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Duke Ellington.

ROCO's Season 16 Connections series continued via livestream in February, with an intimate concert featuring the music of Margaret Bonds—one of the most prolific Black composers of the 1900s—plus works by composers who influenced or were influenced by her, including Florence Price, Ned Rorem, and Robert Owens.

A rare, previously unknown recording of Margaret Bonds in performance was discovered in the Mastersons’ collection at Rienzi. Produced in collaboration with Rienzi, the concert featured and was curated by returning ROCO favorite, Timothy Jones, bass-baritone, and Howard Watkins on piano.

Recorded at Rienzi, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 4, 2021, by Blueprint Film Co.

ROCO's Season 16 Connections series continued via livestream in February, with an intimate concert featuring the music of Margaret Bonds—one of the most prolific Black composers of the 1900s—plus works by composers who influenced or were influenced by her, including Florence Price, Ned Rorem, and Robert Owens.

A rare, previously unknown recording of Margaret Bonds in performance was discovered in the Mastersons’ collection at Rienzi. Produced in collaboration with Rienzi, the concert featured and was curated by returning ROCO favorite, Timothy Jones, bass-baritone, and Howard Watkins on piano.

ROCO made its debut at the jewel of Houston’s 5th Ward Cultural Arts District, the beautifully renovated historic DeLUXE Theater, on January 25th as we welcomed guest violinist Nicole Cherry in collaboration with ROCO Artistic Partner Scott St. John, presenting an evening of chamber works honoring and inspired by the outstanding contributions of London-based nineteenth-century Afro-European violin virtuoso, George Bridgetower.

A part of Dr. Cherry’s commissioning project, “ForgeWithGeorge”, the premiere of David Wallace’s The Bridgetower featured, for solo violin with creative vocalization—along with Yvette Jackson’s recent commission Remembering 1619 for violin and tape. Fellow ROCO string musicians joined for further works by George Bridgetower, Joseph Bologne – Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Duke Ellington.

ROCO's Season 16 Connections series continued via livestream in February, with an intimate concert featuring the music of Margaret Bonds—one of the most prolific Black composers of the 1900s—plus works by composers who influenced or were influenced by her, including Florence Price, Ned Rorem, and Robert Owens.

A rare, previously unknown recording of Margaret Bonds in performance was discovered in the Mastersons’ collection at Rienzi. Produced in collaboration with Rienzi, the concert featured and was curated by returning ROCO favorite, Timothy Jones, bass-baritone, and Howard Watkins on piano.

Recorded at Rienzi, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 4, 2021, by Blueprint Film Co.

ROCO's Season 16 Connections series continued via livestream in February, with an intimate concert featuring the music of Margaret Bonds—one of the most prolific Black composers of the 1900s—plus works by composers who influenced or were influenced by her, including Florence Price, Ned Rorem, and Robert Owens.

A rare, previously unknown recording of Margaret Bonds in performance was discovered in the Mastersons’ collection at Rienzi. Produced in collaboration with Rienzi, the concert featured and was curated by returning ROCO favorite, Timothy Jones, bass-baritone, and Howard Watkins on piano.

ROCO’s Season 17 Unchambered series wrapped up April 2 with “Spinning Tales”, highlighting the percussion family, live from MATCH and also livestreamed at ROCO.org, Facebook, YouTube, and A440.live.

Featuring and curated by ROCO percussionists Matthew McClung, Christina Carroll, and Craig Hauschildt, the program presented music by composers such as Thierry De Mey, Quinn Mason, Thomas Rex Beverly, Christopher Deane, Keiko Abe, and more, taking the audience on a journey through a wide variety of percussive instruments.