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Written by Suzanne LeFevre, head of the Chamber Series program

Get ready to explore the world during our 2013-2014 ROCO Chamber Series!

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On Thursday, April 4, at 7:30, the ROCO String Quartet will perform “Czechs, Please!” featuring selections by Czechoslovakian composers. The program features beautiful and lyrical love songs for quartet from Dvořák as well as Erwin Schulhoff’s first string quartet. The night will be filled with Czech dance music, jazz influenced tunes, folksongs, and a lively movement “alla slovacca”. The program will also include music from Kozeluch and Suk, plus a ROCO surprise or two!

ROCO String Quartet Chamber Concert
Czechs, Please!
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Cullen Hall at University of St. Thomas
4001 Mt. Vernon Houston 77006
7:00pm Wine reception
7:30pm Performance
Tickets: $20 general admission, $10 for students
Buy Tickets

Program:

• Antonín Dvořák Cypresses
• Leopold Kozeluch  String Quartet E Flat Major, Op. 32, Adiago
• Erwin Schulhoff String Quartet No. 1
• Josef Suk Barcarolle and Ballade
• Plus a surprise or two!

About the ROCO String Quartet
Through this String Quartet series, ROCO is featuring chamber ensembles drawn from within the full 40-piece chamber orchestra. Chamber music has been called “music among friends” because of its intimate nature. The series allows ROCO to expand relationships among musicians, with composers, and with the audience by presenting musical conversations that include contemporary as well as classic repertoire.

Performing with the ROCO String Quartet will be violinists Cecila Belcher and Pasha Sabouri, violist Suzanne LeFevre, and cellist Eric Gaenslen. Each is an accomplished artist-performer.

New York-based violinist Cecilia Belcher has performed with the St. Louis Symphony, Pittsburg and Houston Symphony, The Knights, and ROCO. She has previously been a member of the New World Symphony, as concertmaster and principal second violin, Verbier Festival Orchestra, and Canton Symphony. Cece is ROCO’s principal second violin.

Pasha Sabouri has soloed at the Edinburugh Festival, as well as with the Texas Chamber Orchestra, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Henderson Symphony, and others. He has also won first prize in the National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Competition, as well as being National Finalist for Music Teachers National Association Young Artists Division. This is Pasha’s fourth season with ROCO.

 Suzanne LeFevre is a violist and personnel manager for ROCO, as well as a violist for Houston Grand Opera and Mercury Baroque, and an affiliate artist at University of Houston.  This is Suzanne’s eighth season with ROCO.

Cellist Eric Gaenslen has performed as a chamber musician, recitalist and guest soloist in venues across North America and Europe. As cellist of the renowned Rossetti String Quartet, Eric has performed at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Berlin Konzerthaus, with such artists as Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Eugenia Zuckerman, Gautier Capuçon and Pepe Romero. This is Eric’s second season with ROCO.

ROCO and University of St. Thomas are pleased to present the second in a series of chamber concerts featuring the ROCO String Quartet in Cullen Hall at University of St. Thomas. This series is another step in the University’s multi-year plan to establish a major performing arts center on the St. Thomas campus.

ROCO String Quartet Chamber Concert

Thursday, February 21, 2013
Cullen Hall at University of St. Thomas
4001 Mt. Vernon Houston 77006
7:00pm Reception
7:30pm Performance
Tickets: $20 general admission, $10 for students
Buy Tickets

Program: London & England: Its composers and its influence

• Ralph Vaughan Williams String Quartet in A minor
• Benjamin Britten A Phantasy for Oboe and String Quartet
• Joseph Haydn String Quartet Op.74, No. 3
• Two pieces based on traditional English folksongs by Frank Bridge

About the ROCO String Quartet
Through this String Quartet series, ROCO is featuring chamber ensembles drawn from within the full 40-piece chamber orchestra. Chamber music has been called “music among friends” because of its intimate nature. The series allows ROCO to expand relationships among musicians, with composers, and with the audience by presenting musical conversations that include contemporary as well as classic repertoire.

Performing with the ROCO String Quartet will be violinists Ellen de Pasquale and Evan Price, violist Suzanne LeFevre, cellist Richard Belcher, and special guest, oboist Alecia Lawyer. Each is an accomplished artist-performer.

Widely acclaimed for the beauty of her playing and refined musicianship, Ellen de Pasquale is a regular guest at leading music festivals throughout the United States and Europe, as well as an active recitalist and chamber musician

Evan Price is steadily gaining recognition as one of the world’s most confident voices in extra-classical string playing at age 24, Price joined the world-renowned Turtle Island String Quartet. For the next ten years, he played with, arranged music for, and toured the world with Turtle Island, and is the recipient of two GRAMMY® awards for his work with the group.

Suzanne LeFevre is a violist and personnel manager for ROCO, as well as a violist for Houston Grand Opera and Mercury Baroque, and an affiliate artist at University of Houston.

New Zealand cellist, Richard Belcher has performed as a chamber musician and in solo settings across the USA and internationally. He is cellist with the Grammy-nominated Enso String Quartet, of which he is a founding member, and principal cellist with ROCO.

Oboist, Alecia Lawyer is ROCO’s founder who also serves as artistic and executive director and performs as principal oboist of ROCO. In addition, she solos with area orchestras and is oboist with the contemporary composers group Musiqa in Houston.

Buy Tickets for this performance

ROCO is delighted to announce the launch of “ROCOreplay,” an online listening room and music store that enables ROCO fans to enjoy ROCO music anytime, anywhere. ROCO audience members have been asking for a way to buy recordings of ROCO concerts so that they may enjoy them again and again.

ROCOreplay extends the audience experience beyond the concert hall and provides three ways to re-experience ROCO performances:

• The Listening Room is an online location where listeners may hear full concerts as well as individual pieces that were recorded live during ROCO performances. Concerts are listed by season and available for replay within the web page. It’s FREE and available anytime from within the ROCO website. The Listening Room is located under the “Listen” tab at http://rocobackup.wpenginepowered.com.

• The ROCO Music Store is just a click away from the Listening Room. There, listeners may preview tracks and buy digital downloads of concert albums and music tracks. Albums are arranged by concert and are keyword searchable by composer, conductor, soloist, and other descriptors such as “premiere” and “conductorless.”

• ROCOringtones are excerpts from live performances that have been crafted into iPhone ringtones. With a ROCOringtone in your pocket, you’ll enjoy a little bit of ROCO every time your phone rings! The first set of ringtones offered in the store highlights individual ROCO musicians in featured performances. ROCOringtones are one more way that ROCO personalizes the orchestral experience and delivers “the most fun you can have with serious music.”

Please visit and enjoy our new Listening Room and ROCOreplay music store.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Why is ROCO offering music recordings for sale and for listening online?

A1.  We are responding to our patrons’ requests for a way to purchase and listen to recordings of ROCO performances. We are extending the audience experience beyond the concert hall by introducing our new listening room, music store and ROCOringtones.  At launch, ROCOreplay includes recordings of live performances from ROCO’s first seven seasons.

Q2.  How do I get to the ROCO Listening Room?

Q2.  Find it under the “Listen” tab on the ROCO website: www.rocobackup.wpenginepowered.com.

Q3.  How do I get to the ROCOreplay music store?

A3.  Three ways:  1)via the red tab at the top of every page of the ROCO website (www.rocobackup.wpenginepowered.com), 2) via the “buy all” link at the bottom of the music player in the Listening Room, and 3) directly at www.rocoreplay.com.

Q4.  What format are the downloaded files?

A4. The music files are MP3 files. When you download an album, you will receive a zipped file that contains multiple MP3 files. To use them, just double click on the zipped file, extract them to the directory of your choice.

Q5.  How do I play downloaded music files?

A5.  You can play them on any device that can play MP3 files, including your computer, iPhone, iPad, iPod, etc.

Q6.  Can’t I just buy a CD of ROCO music?

A6.  At this time, we’re only offering digital versions of our recordings.

Q7.  How do I get ROCOringtones from the ROCOreplay store and onto my iPhone?

A7.  Purchase them from ROCOreplay and download them to your computer. You’ll want to save them in your iTunes “Tones” folder, then connect and sync your iPhone ringtones.

Q8. Why did ROCO create music ringtones? Has anyone else done this?

A8. ROCO has achieved a reputation as an innovator and “orchestral trailblazer.” Building on our commitment to reimagine the orchestral experience, we see ROCOringtones as one more way to personalize the orchestral experience and create “the most fun you can have with serious music.” As far as we know, we are the first classical musical organization to introduce ringtones made from our own performances.

Q9.  Will ROCOringtones play on all phones?

A9.   Only iPhones can play ROCOringtones at this time.

Q10. What if I have a problem purchasing and downloading music files?

Q10. If you have any problems purchasing or playing ROCO music files, email us at replay@roco.org or call us at 713-665-2700 and we’ll talk you through it.