ROCO ANNOUNCES ITS 2018-19 SEASON: “GAMES PEOPLE PLAY”

The 14^th season from the innovative Houston-based professional music ensemble features ten world premiere commissions, and a commitment to diversity that sees them presenting a female composer, conductor, or soloist on every concert.

New pieces include a musical chess match between piano and orchestra, a tribute to Turkish wrestler Koca Yusuf, a chamber work where audiences vote on their phones to influence the direction of the performance, and many more.

ROCO continues to change the way audiences think about and experience classical music concerts, with a vintage game night at Rienzi, Peter and the Wolf at the Houston Zoo, and a game of musical chairs through the historic homes at The Heritage Society.

ROCO will also release its first commercial recording featuring six world premiere commissions in the Fall of 2018.

ROCO is excited to announce its 2018–19 season, entitled “Games People Play”. The rollicking musical rumpus will include ten world premiere commissions – bringing the organization’s total to an impressive 79 – and will reinforce ROCO’s commitment to diversity by featuring a female composer, conductor, or soloist on every concert.

The In Concert performances feature pieces running the game-related gamut from a chess match between piano and orchestra, to a sonic simulacrum of solitaire, to an orchestral depiction of a Turkish wrestler. The delightfully unorthodox, musician-led Unchambered series continues to offer a new vision of how chamber music can uniquely connect performers and audiences – including a new piece entitled Mind Games, where the audience votes with their phones during the performance and influences the direction of the piece. The Connections series continues to take the music out of the concert hall and into new and unusual places, including a vintage game night at Rienzi, a larger-than-life version of musical chairs at The Heritage Society, and a performance of Peter and the Wolf at the Houston Zoo that swaps ‘wolf’ for ‘bear’ in celebration of the zoo’s new ursine exhibit.

Alecia Lawyer, ROCO’s founder, artistic director, and principal oboist, says, “Often described as fun, dynamic, and a joy to experience, ROCO musicians will go further this season and explore games through music. Games are a great way for friends and family to share time together and deepen their relationships as we hope to do with you, our audience.”

Additionally, ROCO will release their first commercial album fall 2018, featuring six world premiere commissions including recordings of Karim Al-Zand’s Visions from Another World, Derek Bermel’s Murmurations, Anthony DiLorenzo’s Anthem of Hope: Houston Strong and Jabberwocky, Reena Esmail’s Teen Murti, and Marcus Maroney’s Concerto for Chamber Orchestra.

ROCO 2018-19 SEASON

IN CONCERT SERIES

ROCO’s In Concert series, which features the full 40-piece orchestra and livestreamed performances, kicks off September 21 & 22 with the world premiere of Maxime Goulet’s Checkmate, a chess game for piano and orchestra based on the legendary 1996 match where IBM’s “Deep Blue” computer defeated reigning world champion Garry Kasparov. The piano part (played by the singular Lara Downes) represents Kasparov while the orchestra plays the part of Deep Blue, with the actual match projected above the stage in real-time. ROCO principals, Kristin Wolfe Jensen, bassoon, and Nathan Williams, clarinet, are the featured soloists on Strauss’ Duo Concertino for Bassoon and Clarinet. Conductor Paul Watkins, cellist with the Emerson String Quartet, will lead the program (which also includes a piece from his brother, British composer Huw Watkins).

All-female composer program “Queen of Hearts” continues the series on November 17, with ROCO favorite Mei-Ann Chen at the podium. Solitaire, a world premiere commission by Heather Schmidt for violin solo, features ROCO concertmaster Scott St. John, and Anna Clyne’s Within Her Arms, Ruth Gipps’s Seascape, and Louise Farrenc’s Symphony No. 3 round out this program.

Travel around Europe by rail on February 23 with “Ticket to Ride,” beginning with Jim Stephenson’s musical tribute to miniature trains, ROCOmotive. Conductor (see what we did there!) Brett Mitchell steers the proceedings in his ROCO debut, taking audiences on a tour to England and Germany with Ethel Smyth’s The Wreckers, Poland with Wojciech Kilar’s Orawa, France with the Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1 featuring Richard Belcher, ROCO principal cello, as soloist, and finally to Austria with Mozart’s Symphony No. 35, “Haffner”.

The final concert of the series on May 4, “The Wrestler,” features the world premiere of Erberk Eryilmaz’s Koca Yusuf, Wrestling Airs for Chamber Orchestra written in memory of Koca Yusuf, an internationally famous, 19^th century Turkish wrestler who instigated a riot when he threw an opponent out of a ring during a match at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in 1898. Conductor David Danzmayr brings one of his favorite pieces, Jocelyn Morlock’s Solace, into the mix, while organ soloist Paul Jacobs returns for Samuel Barber’s Toccata Festiva.

UNCHAMBERED SERIES

The Unchambered series, which features ROCO soloists or small ensembles in an intimate setting at MATCH, opens October 6 with “Mind Games”. ROCO trumpeter Joe Foley and percussionist Matt McClung react to each other to create the shape of the pieces in the moment, and the audience can also vote on their phones to influence the direction of the piece.

Force of Nature” on December 8 is a concert of nature-themed music for flute, oboe, viola, harp and piano, including George Crumb’s Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale) for electric flute, cello and amplified piano, and Madeline Dring’s Trio for Flute, Oboe & Piano.

“Terzetto” on February 9 will offer an innovative collaboration between dance and strings led by Suzanne LeFevre, viola.

The series closes on April 6 with the ROCO Brass Quintet performing Chase Sequence, James Stephenson’s work where the players imitate one another musically, each one trying to “catch up” with the other.

CONNECTIONS SERIES

ROCO’s progressive Connections series, featuring site-specific, collaborative, and multi-disciplinary performances, starts on November 29 with “Vintage Game Night” at Rienzi, part of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Audiences will have a chance to play classic games amidst the magnificent surroundings, before watching violinist Scott St. John engage in a musical battle with cellist Richard Belcher.

The annual “Beer & Brass” evening returns to the Saint Arnold Brewing Company on January 10, and the Houston Zoo will once again play host to “Peter and the Wolf” on January 27, though the title will change to “Peter and the Bear” to highlight the Zoo’s new bear exhibit and conservation efforts.

The series closes on March 7 with a larger-than-life game of “Musical Chairs” at Houston’s Heritage Society, where audiences travel from house to historical house, with a different ROCO musician performing in each.

ABOUT ROCO
ROCO is a dynamic and innovative professional music ensemble that flexes from 1 to 40 players from all over the US and Canada, with guest artists from around the world. Performing intimate concerts in dozens of venues, ROCO’s musicians don’t just give concerts – they challenge preconceptions, create extraordinary experiences, and foster new relationships with audiences through the language of music.

Expanding the repertoire, ROCO has premiered over 65 commissions from living American composers. ROCO embraces technology, with free worldwide concert livestreams and real-time artist commentary via a smartphone app, as well as on-demand recordings of past concerts via The Listening Room. A vital part of the community, ROCO concert DVDs are sent to nursing homes and hospitals to bring music to those immobile communities, and their music education/childcare program attracts multigenerational audiences.

The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (ROCO) announces its 2016­­-2017 season, themed “Go Boldly,” with programming that expands the professional chamber orchestra’s footprint, new commissioned works from energetic composers and state-of-the-art technology to further connect audiences with performing artists.

“ROCO’s 12th season builds upon the concept of stepping into an unknown space and wildcatting,” says Alecia Lawyer, ROCO founder, artistic director and principal oboist. “Risk-taking in the arts isn’t simply about doing wild and unexpected things. It’s also about using extremely talented people to realize their own ideas.”

This season marks ROCO’s bold entrance into The Woodlands following a successful debut series by the ROCO Brass Quintet at The Woodlands United Methodist Church in 2015. ROCO continues presenting these intimate chamber concerts while adding performances that feature the full 40-piece orchestra as part of ROCO’s “In Concert” series. ROCO’s entrance into The Woodlands for 2016-17 marks the continuation of ROCO’s efforts to perform throughout the Greater Houston area, with 39 concerts in 16 different venues performed throughout the region.

ROCO continues its bold tradition of new commissions as part of the “In Concert” performances. Featured composers on the 2016-17 season include Pulitzer prize winner Jennifer Higdon, Michael Gilbertson, Ricardo Lorenz, and Alex Miller.

ROCO continues its partnership with Octava, the innovative digital program note and commentary delivery app. ROCO will utilize Octava as an enhancement mechanism to directly communicate with the audience in real time, offering insightful commentary from the musicians, scholars and guest artists during performance.

ROCO In Concert

ROCO launches its 2016–2017 In Concert series with “Dance Like No One’s Watching,” Sept. 23 at Miller Outdoor Theatre and Sept. 24 at The Church of St. John the Divine (SJD). The program features the Texas premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon’s Dance Card, a work for string orchestra based on the baroque dance suite form, which ROCO co-commissioned with the San Francisco-based New Century Chamber Orchestra and the Chicago Sinfonietta. Mei Ann Chen conducts, Chester Englander solos as cimbalom player for Kodaly’s “Hary Janos” Intermezzo, and Scott St. John returns as concertmaster for this program that also features Dmitri Shostakovich’s Ballet Suite No. 2, Fanny Mendelssohn’s Overture in C and Mikhail Glinka’s Kamarinskaya.

Nov. 18 at The Woodlands United Methodist Church (TWUMC), and Nov. 19 at SJD, ROCO presents “Space: The Final Playground.” The program features another ROCO commission and the Texas premiere of Michael Gilbertson’s Cosmos, a piece in five short movements, each of which is inspired by an element of the cosmos. During the concert, soloists from WindSync — a theatrical, Houston-based wind quintet — will move throughout the performance space while playing. David Danzmayr conducts and Scott St. John is concertmaster for the program, which also includes Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 6, Czech composer Vilém Tausky’s Coventry, and Elgia Andina by Gabriela Lena Frank.

ROCO audience favorite Andrés Cárdenes returns to lead ROCO’s annual conductorless concert on Feb. 24, 2017, at TWUMC, and Feb. 25, 2017, at SJD. The Grammy-nominated violinist will lead from the chair and serve as soloist during “People are People.” The program features the world premiere of a violin concerto commissioned by ROCO and written specifically for Cárdenes by Ricardo Lorenz. Other works on the program are Luigi Rodolfo Boccherini’s Symphony No. 25 in A-Major, Aaron Copland’s Three Latin American Sketches, and Mendelssohn’s Sinfonia No. 8 in D Major.

The Season 12 “In Concert” series comes to a close on March 31, 2017, at TWUMC and April 1, 2017, at SJD, with “Double Trouble.” The concert is led by Steven Jarvi, conductor and Scott St. John as concermaster. Alexander Miller’s Concerto Grosso for double reeds is the commissioned world premiere along with Saverio Mercadante’s Concerto for Flute in E-minor featuring ROCO flutist Brook Ferguson. Also on the program: Green Brook Suite by Gustav Holst and Verklarte Nacht by Arnold Schoenberg.

ROCO Unchambered

ROCO’s Unchambered series, on the stage at the Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston (MATCH), features individual ROCO musicians in an intimate chamber ensemble. The series opens Oct. 9 with “Fantasy, Love and Sex(tet),” featuring cellist Richard Belcher and violinist Cece Belcher in a program that comprises Robert Schumann’s Fantasy Pieces Op. 73 for Cello and Piano, Erwin Schulhoff’s Duo for Violin and Cello and Ernő Dohnányi’s Sextet for Clarinet, Horn, Piano, Violin, Viola and Cello.

Violinist Aloysia Friedmann is the featured artist for “Tasting Menu” on Nov. 13. Along with pianist Scott Cuellar, Friedmann performs Eugene Ysaye’s Solo Sonata No. 3 in D-minor, Op. 27; Robert Schumann’s Sonata No. 2 in D-minor; and a quartet of tangos by Isaac Albeniz, Astor Piazzolla, Paul Schoenfeld and Igor Stravinsky.

On Feb. 12, 2017, percussionist Matt McClung and violinist Maureen Nelson perform a program of solos and duets, including Astor Piazzolla’s L’histoire du Tango, in a program titled “Stolen Moments.” In this unique program, Nelson and McClung perform works originally intended for their counterpart’s instrument.

The Unchambered series concludes March 5, 2017, with Franz Schubert’s Octet. “Schubert Octet” features clarinetist Nathan Williams.

ROCO Brass Quintet

During Season 12, the celebrated ROCO Brass Quintet (Jason Adams, trumpet; George Chase, trumpet; Gavin Reed, horn; Thomas Hultén, trombone; Jared Lantzy, bass trombone) returns for a series of performances in The Woodlands. The group also performs Friday evening “Rush Hour” concerts at the Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston (MATCH).

Concerts at MATCH are on Fridays, at 6:30pm, with cocktail hours between 6-6:30
Concerts at TWUMC are on Sundays, at 5pm.

Program 1 (Oct. 14, Oct. 16)
“From Russia with valves”
With this first quintet program of the season, the quintet will explore some early chamber music for brass, from composers active in St. Petersburg who were inspired by the string quartet tradition. In addition to being composers, Ramsoe was a violinist and Ewald was a cellist. (Ewald was also a civil engineer!) Böhme moved from Germany to Budapest and finally in 1897 to St. Petersburg. Although much of his music is well known by brass musicians, his Nachtmusik was discovered only recently, and the RBQ is excited to share this gem. The musicians will also perform music composed in a much later period, by Armenian composer Alexander Arutiunian and by Igor Stravinsky.
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Wilhelm Ramsöe, Quartet No. 4
Victor Ewald, Quintet No. 3, Op. 7
Oskar Böhme, Nachtmusik, Op. 44
Alexander Arutiunian, Armenian Scenes
Igor Stravinsky, Fanfare for a New Theater

Program 2 (Jan. 27, Jan. 29)
“Crossing over the English Channel”
In their second quintet program, the musicians of the RBQ will perform works of composers from either side of the English Channel (U.K. and France.) Summer Dances by William Mathias is a very lively work in 6 movements. Mathias’ contemporary, Alun Hoddinott, also wrote a very charming work for brass quintet, about 8 years earlier than Mathias, based on Welsh nursery tunes. Patrice Caratini is a French jazz bassist who wrote a wonderful work for quintet, Passages, which crosses over between jazz and classical styles of music.
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William Mathias, Summer Dances
Alun Hoddinott, Quodlibet on Welsh Nursery Tunes
Patrice Caratini, Passages

Program 3 (April 7, April 9)
“Music from the Americas”
In their third and final program, the RBQ presents recent works of composers from North and South America, beginning with a fanfare from Jennifer Higdon. David Sampson’s Chesapeake (written in 2010) is a programmatic work, depicting a series of sailing trips off the coast of Maryland. Osvaldo Lacerda was a Brazilian composer who wove folk music into his very colorful and charming 4 movement work for brass. Finally, the RBQ is thrilled to announce our first commissioned work for brass quintet; our friend, Houston-based musician and composer Paul English, will be writing a piece for the group, and we are very excited to share this new work with our audiences in Houston and The Woodlands.
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Jennifer Higdon, Fanfare
David Sampson, Chesapeake
Osvaldo Lacerda, Quinteto Concertante
Paul English, newly commissioned work

ROCO Connections

Each season, ROCO collaborates with dynamic partners throughout the Houston community with a series of “Connections” concerts. The 2016–2017 lineup includes:

An annual Musical and Literary Ofrenda at Lawndale Art Center on Oct. 25.
A performance by the ROCO Brass Quintet at The Centrum on Cypress Creek’s FACE series on Dec. 13.
A Beer and Brass performance by the ROCO Brass Quintet at Saint Arnold Brewing Co. on Jan. 5, 2017.
A partnership with Interactive Theater Company that brings Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf to life at the Houston Zoo on Jan. 15, 2017. The concert is also performed at Texas Children’s Hospital thanks to a generous grant from The Moran Foundation.
A performance by ROCO clarinetist Maiko Sasaki at Asia Society Texas Center on March 23, 2017 titled “Roots, Reeds and Rhapsody.” The program includes Sergei Prokofiev’s Overture on Hebrew Themes, Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody, Béla Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances, Claude Debussy’s Pagodas from Estampes, Zhou Long’s Song of the Ch’in and Bright Sheng’s Concertino for Clarinet and String Quartet.

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11th Season Celebrates Partnerships

Media Contact:
Eric Skelly, 713-665-2700, eric@roco.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  May 7, 2015

HOUSTON ― ROCO (River Oaks Chamber Orchestra) launches its second decade with the 2015-2016 season, its 11^th, titled “Side By Side.” Eleven new world premiere commissions bring ROCO’s world premiere total to 54 by the end of this season, characterized by programming that celebrates the artistic partnerships and creative collaborations that have brought ROCO through its first ten years, while exploring exciting new connections  — including moving two series into Houston’s newest performing arts center, The MATCH (Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston) — and intriguing musical juxtapositions.   And finally, Side By Side references all of the many communities that combine to make up Houston, and which ROCO remains committed to reaching out to through performances.  Although River Oaks is part of ROCO’s name, only four of ROCO’s 39 concerts last season took place there, with this season marking ROCO’s first forays as far North as The Woodlands.

“The concept of ‘Side By Side’ starts simply with two 1’s standing together to create the number 11 as ROCO embarks on its 11^th season,” explains ROCO Founder, Artistic Director and Principal Oboist Alecia Lawyer.  “But ‘Side By Side’ also describes a season in which we’re thanking and spotlighting the  partners – new and established – who stand beside us, as we endeavor through music to unite the disparate corners of this wonderfully diverse, sprawling city of ours.  And finally, ‘Side By Side’ points to our 11^th Season’s programming theme, wherein East meets West, historical meets modern, and longstanding artistic friendships are brought to the fore and celebrated.”

World premiere commissions for ROCO this season include Rick Robinson’s “Gitcha Groove On!” (commission sponsored by The Wortham Foundation),  a new work by James Matheson for two Shakuhachi and chamber orchestra (commission sponsored by The Albert and Ethel Herzstein Foundation and The Wortham Foundation), Marcus Maroney’s Concerto for Orchestra (commission sponsored by The Wortham Foundation), and Dorothy Gates’ Trombone Concerto (commission sponsored by The Wortham Foundation).

Guest artists making their ROCO debuts this season include composers Rick Robinson, James Matheson, and Dorothy Gates; Shakuhachi (traditional Japanese flutes) soloists James Nyoraku Schlefer and Akihito Obama; concertmaster/soloist Scott St. John; and ROCO principal trombonist Thomas Hulten making his ROCO solo debut.

Returning ROCO guest artists include composers Reena Esmail, Marcus Maroney,  and Anthony DiLorenzo;  and conductors, Andrés Cárdenes, Edwin Outwater, and Victor Yampolsky.

IN CONCERT – Full Forty-Piece Chamber Orchestra

East meets West as “Pacific Crossings” celebrates ROCO’s partnership with Asia Society Houston, November 13^th at Asia Society Houston’s Brown Foundation Performing Arts Theater, and November 14^th at St. John the Divine.   Conductor Edwin Outwater leads the ensemble in a commissioned world premiere by James Matheson (making his ROCO debut) for two Shakuhachi  –  an early Japanese end-blown flute often used in Zen meditation as well as classical , jazz, and traditional Japanese folk music – and chamber orchestra, played by ROCO debuting artists James Nyoraku Schlefer and Akihito Obama.  Vivian Fung’s “Pizzicato” and Sibelius 3^rd Symphony round out the program.Conductor Andrés Cárdenes returns to open ROCO’s In Concert series – featuring the full 40-piece River Oaks Chamber Orchestra — with performances of a program titled “Gitcha Groove On!,” September 26^th, 2015 at St. John the Divine, and September 27^th, 2015 at Miller Outdoor Theater.  Pairing disparate musical styles like jazz and classical, “Gitcha Groove On” takes its name from ROCO’s 44^th world premiere commission of the same name by Rick Robinson (in his ROCO debut).  It’s a jazz-infused classical commission for the full orchestra plus trapset, the product of ROCO winning the New Music Box and ASCAP “Music Alive” Partnership award.  Cardénes has chosen to pair this piece with José Pablo Moncayo’s “Huapango,” a chamber orchestra piece based on folk songs from the composer’s native Mexico, and both Robinson and Moncayo have written pieces rooted in their respective heritages.  Poulenc’s “Sinfonietta” and Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s “Much Ado About Nothing” complete the program.

“Matchmaking” finds ROCO’s annual conductor-less concert featuring works in which the orchestra is subdivided.  Concertmaster and violin soloist Scott St. John leads the ensemble in the commissioned world premiere of Marcus Maroney’s Concerto for Orchestra, composed in the style of Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra which divides the orchestra into pairs, as well as Haydn’s Symphony No. 6, characterized by multiple duets within the larger piece.  The program is completed by Vaughn Williams’ “Lark Ascending” featuring Scott St. John, and Bartok’s “Rumanian Folk Dances.”  Performances are February 12 at Grace Presbyterian Church, and February 13 at St. John the Divine.  “Matchmaking” is further distinguished by the fact that it accomplishes the “St. John Trifecta:” it’s hosted by St. John Flynn, features Scott St. John, and takes place at St. John the Divine.

“Sliding Into Home” brings the 2015-2016 In Concert series to a close with a single performance at ROCO’s home base, St. John the Divine April 9, featuring the commissioned world premiere of  Dorothy Gates’ Trombone Concerto.  Principal trombonist and ROCO Brass Quintet member Thomas Hulten makes his debut as a ROCO soloist in this piece by Dorothy Gates (herself making her ROCO debut with this work), who is known among other accolades for her compositions for The Salvation Army Band.  Conductor Victor Yampolsky leads the concert, which includes Vivaldi’s “Dresden” Concerto RV 577, and Arthur Honegger’s 4^th Symphony, bringing ROCO’s 11^th In Concert Series sliding into home.

ROCO’s In Concert performances this season feature a very special ROCO commission.  ROCO trumpets perform fanfares after each concert’s “Take Five” intermission, to call the musicians back to the stage.  This season that fanfare is a commissioned piece by Anthony DiLorenzo called “Side By Side” in honor of ROCO Founder Alecia Lawyer’s father, referencing the old standard song the Lawyer family would sing in the car on family road trips.

UNCHAMBERED – Intimate Chamber Ensemble Series Featuring Individual ROCO Musicians

ROCO’s Unchambered Series has a new home this season at The MATCH (Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston).  “Houston has an exciting, versatile new performing arts center opening this Fall,” says ROCO Associate Artistic Director and Violist Suzanne LeFevre.  “The MATCH is perfect for ROCO; its theaters are scaled for intimate performance experiences and have the potential for more creative collaborations with other resident organizations.  The Unchambered Series now has a home.  It’s a perfect MATCH!”

The series opens October 18, 2015 with “Harmonious Muses.”  Violinist Anton Miller performs  works by composers who inspired one another in their own time, and across generations.   Gershwin’s “It Ain’t Necessarily So” is performed alongside “Park Slope” by Errollyn Wallen, a composer who’s a personal friend of Anton Miller’s, and who was greatly influenced by Gershwin (both are songwriters of popular music, as well as classical music and opera).  Miller also performs works by two 19^th-Century composers who inspired one another personally and professionally: Brahms’ D-minor Sonata, and Clara Schumann’s “3 Romances for violin and piano.

Pianist Christopher McKiggan takes The MATCH stage with not one, but two pianos!  “Piano vs. Piano” offers a side-by-side comparison of an 1863 Steinway vs. a modern one, with McKiggan performing works on the 1863 instrument from the time of its creation, including Balakierev’s “Mazurka No. 2,” Liszt’s “Les Adieux,” Tchaikovsky’s “The Seasons,” Brahms-Paganini’s “Variations Book 2,” and ending with Karim Al-Zand’s “Paganini Reverie.”  Works performed on the new instrument include Robert Beaaser’s “Pag-Rag,” Narong Prangcharoen’s “Pact Ink,” and James Mobberley’s “Capricious Invariance.”  The “Piano vs. Piano” showdown takes place February 28, 2016.

“Dressed To The Nines” features ROCO’s players performing Josef Rheinberger’s Nonet in A-major, considered the one of the best of the few nonets in the classical canon.  The April 24, 2016 program is filled out with works that split up the nonet into a woodwind quintet for Ligeti’s “Bagatelles,” and a trio for Dohnanyi’s “Serenade” for violin, viola and cello.

The Unchambered Series and ROCO’s 2015-2016 season closes May 15, 2016 with a very special concert titled “As Long As We’re Together.”  It features ROCO Founder/Artistic Director/Principal Oboist Alecia Lawyer and ROCO Associate Artistic Director/Violist Suzanne LeFevre.  They’re performing works by Hugo Kauder and Ignaz Lachner, Robert Kahn’s “Serenade,” and more.  The performance is crowned by the performance of a world premiere piece: “I’ve commissioned composer Reena Esmail to write a piece for us in honor of Suzanne LeFevre,” explains Alecia Lawyer, “whose brilliance as an artist and as a human being is at the heart of everything ROCO does.  I’m thrilled that we finally get to do this concert together.”

BRASS QUINTET

The celebrated ROCO Brass Quintet gets a 3-concert series, with repeats, of its own with performances of each concert at The MATCH and in The Woodlands.   “ROCO is built on the LEGO model,” explains Alecia Lawyer, “wherein smaller groups like the ROCO Brass Quintet develop their own unique identity and their own concert series under the larger ROCO brand.  This allows ROCO to reach much further and serve the entire Houston community, and strengthens the full orchestra’s artistic growth.”

The five musicians who comprise the ROCO Brass Quintet are George Chase, trumpet; Jason Adams, trumpet; Gavin Reed, horn; Thomas Hulten, trombone; and Ilan Morganstern, bass trombone.  The quintet’s first ever ROCO series programs will include performances of Robert Maggio’s “A Sense of Space,” Joan Tower’s “Copperwave,” and David Sampson’s “Morning Music.”

• October 9, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. at The MATCH; October 11, 2015 at 5 p.m. at Woodlands United Methodist Church
• January 22, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. at The MATCH; January 24, 2016 at 5 p.m. at The Woodlands United Methodist Church
• March 4, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. at The MATCH; March 6, 2016 at 5 p.m. at The Woodlands United Methodist Church

CONNECTIONS – Unique Collaborations With Dynamic Partners Throughout The Community

In addition to their own series, the ROCO Brass Quintet is once again busy in 2015-2016 headlining many of ROCO’s Connections Concerts.  Fast becoming Houston traditions, ROCO’s full line-up of collaborations comprises:

• ROCO celebrates the Mexican “Day of the Dead” with its annual Musical and Literary Ofrenda at Lawndale Art Center October 27, 2015. This free five-way collaboration finds ROCO partnering with Lawndale; Musiqa; Inprint, Inc.; and the Houston Hispanic Forum; all promoted by The Mexican Consulate.  The five original musical “ofrendas” (offerings) – commissioned by ROCO from Musiqa composers – are woven amongst four original prose texts by Inprint authors, surrounded by the beautiful retablos (alterpieces) on display at Lawndale.
• The Brass Quintet performs at The Centrum on Cypress Creek FACE’s series November 10, 2015.
• ROCO offers a very special performance of Olivier Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time at The Match, November 22, 2015, featuring ROCO clarinetist Maiko Sasaki. This large and intensely moving piece was composed by Messiaen while he was held in a Nazi prisoner of war camp in 1941.  The world premiere was performed by the 31-year-old Messiaen and 3 other prisoners, in the rain, on decrepit instruments, for an audience of fellow prisoners and guards.  Messiaen declared that the work was inspired by of one of The Book of Revelations’ grandest, most inspiring passages.
• ROCO ushers in the holiday spirit with The 7^th Annual Yuletide performances by the ROCO Brass Quintet at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, December 7, 2015.
• The perennial favorite “Beer and Brass” to St. Arnold’s Brewery for a “spirited” event of craft beers and traditional beer hall music by The ROCO Brass Quintet,” January 6, 2016.
• ROCO partners with Interactive Theater Company once again to bring Prokofieff’s “Peter and the Wolf” to life at The Houston Zoo, January 17, 2016.  Free with zoo admission, these performances are part of The Houston Zoo’s initiative to promote wolf conservation.
• The ROCO Brass Quintet will once again appear as part of the City West University Place Parks and Recreation Department’s “Music Under the Stars” Classical Concert Series in Colonial Park. The April 2016 date will be announced soon.

Subscriptions to ROCO In Concert and ROCO Unchambered or a ROCO Combo for both series are available starting Friday, April 24.  Subscription prices range from $50 – $200, with discounted tickets available for Seniors and Students. Single concert tickets will become available starting August 1.  Tickets and more information are available online at www.rocobackup.wpenginepowered.com  or by calling 713-665-2700.

ROCOrooters

Our popular music education/childcare program for kids between 2 months (after their first set of shots) and 10 years runs during and after concerts at St. John the Divine. Kids enjoy fun music and concert etiquette instruction, a trip into the concert hall (for ages 5-10), and an option to stay for pizza and movies after the concert, allowing parents (or grandparents!) to go out for a post-concert dinner.

ABOUT ROCO

ROCO  is  a  professional  chamber  orchestra  of  40  all­star  musicians,  distinguished  guest conductors  and  dynamic  composers  who  come  together  from  all  over  the  world  to present engaging  performances  of  classical  and  original  compositions.  Founded in 2005 by oboist Alecia  Lawyer,  ROCO  is  the  most  fun  you  can  have  with  serious  music. More at  www.rocobackup.wpenginepowered.com

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Read past ROCO news releases here.