Choose your own sound adventure! ROCO on the Go allows music lovers to listen to ROCO’s vast performance catalog from anywhere! Each playlist features a different mood category of music to allow the listener to choose their mood.
[ess_grid alias="playlists-v2"]
Delayana Lazarova conductor (credit: Marco Borggreve)
Lawrence Wheeler | 10 FEB 2025
ROCO, a 40-piece chamber orchestra in Houston, continued their Season 20 with two premieres, a side-by-side performance with a youth orchestra, and Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony. Titled “Courageous” (after the third letter of ROCO), conductor Delyana Lazarova led this concert at The Church of St. John the Divine in Houston on February 8th. The results ranged from interesting to extraordinary.
The program began with members of the Houston Youth Symphony sharing stands with ROCO musicians. Sitting on the outside and given solo wind parts, the HYS musicians did an admirable job performing Overture No. 2 by Emilie Mayer (1812-1883). One of 15 overtures composed by “the Female Beethoven,” the work is well constructed, having a nice contrast between rhythmic and lyrical themes. Given the time period in which she lived, Mayer’s choice to pursue composition as a woman was courageous. It was good to be introduced to this neglected composer. Lazarova’s conducting was energetic, with clearly indicated beats.
Brazilian-American composer Clarice Assad has accumulated an impressive list of compositions, many of which have been recorded. Receiving its Texas premiere, The Evolution of AI is about an artificial intelligence robot, or cyborg, that is being rebooted to life. An example of performance art, Assad wore a silver and black costume and played the cyborg character. It goes through the training about what music is—specifically, what classical orchestral music is. Beginning with “reboot,” Assad used a Genki wave ring hooked up to a computer to create various electronic sounds based on hand motions.
Clarice Assad (courtesy of ROCO)
The piece is supposed to begin with an Electro-Organic A-frame drum, but that was unexpectedly broken, making it necessary to omit the first six bars. Concertmaster Scott St. John indicated beats with his bow while Lazarova joined the first violin section. In “Data Collection,” the cyborg indicated random acoustic instrument sounds by first waving and gesturing, then going into the ensemble to “create” longer samples. In “Machine Learning,” the cyborg absorbs and adapts Western compositions. It then finds and looks quizzically at a conductor’s baton and hands it to Lazarova, who conducts “Creation.” In this section, we hear fragments of several well-known pieces until the machine experiences an unexpected glitch, leaving its fate uncertain.
Assad’s performance was highly effective, although it may be proprietary. The piece itself is a novel mix of traditional and technological sounds. Given the current concerns about AI and its future use, this piece serves as a timely metaphor, leading to the question—what’s a Meta for?
Commissioned by ROCO, the performance of Clarice Assad’s piano concerto Total Eclipse was a world premiere. Written for pianist Lara Downes, the idea for the piece originated with a phone call between composer and pianist on the day of a solar eclipse. They had spoken of personal experiences that year that ranged from joy to sadness or light to darkness. The solar eclipse became a metaphor for exploring light and darkness, shade and color in music and in life.
Lara Downes (courtesy of ROCO)
Joining relationships separated by time, Assad musically explores humanity’s ancient and modern viewings of a solar eclipse. Utilizing some non-traditional effects such as playing inside the piano, she created a wide range of colors and feelings, all realized by Downes’ superb execution and stage presence. The three sections, titled “RA,” “Cosmic Dust,” and “Totality,” sustained interest through a variety of musical styles and meters. Coupled with well-played instrumental solos, the piece seemed shorter than its 19 minutes. Of particular note were timpanist Craig Hauschildt and percussionist Christina Carroll. Lazarova navigated the variegated elements with assurance.
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 is one of the greatest symphonies ever written, with its second movement, the “Allegretto,” a contender for the greatest movement ever. What makes this symphony so great? Called “the apotheosis of the dance” by Wagner, Beethoven uses rhythm and harmony to create a wide range of emotions that reach out and grab us more than 200 years later. He was experiencing irreversible deafness at the time, and Europe was in the throes of war. He could have retreated into himself, but instead courageously shook his fist (or foot) at fate and created ever greater music.
Such a monumental work, one of humanity’s greatest creations, warrants as much care and attention as humanly possible to realize its full grandeur. With the caveat that perfection in art does not exist, this evening was the finest live performance of Beethoven’s Seventh I have ever heard. What was so great about it? To begin, the ensemble that is ROCO, a collection of superb musicians totally committed to playing their best, such as this night. But even a Stradivarius violin requires a player of consummate skill to elicit all the colors and powers of expression within. An orchestra is the ultimate instrument.
Enter Delyana Lazarova, my new favorite young conductor. What makes this conductor so great? Intelligence, integrity, musical honesty, communication, and consummate good taste. There are two screens on either side at ROCO concerts. Some camera shots showed the conductor’s face, a point of view not normally seen from the audience. It was amazing to see how Delyana could communicate changes of character, phrase by phrase and instrument by instrument—not just by her polished stick technique, but her facial expressions. Always spot on, it showed an intimate understanding of the music and the musicians in front of her. They, in turn, produced spectacular results. It was the Miracle on Westheimer.
It would be impossible to list all the fine details or wind solos of this performance as it would be a roll call. Tempos were ideal, balances were near perfect (Delyana had the trumpets drop back on their high A), ensemble was spot on, and the emotional content was there throughout. (Yes, I shed a few tears in the “Allegretto.”) I predict that someday, hopefully not too far off, this conductor will be hired as music director of a major orchestra. She’s the real deal. ■
Lawrence Wheeler was a music professor for 44 years. He has served as principal viola with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, and guest principal with the Dallas and Houston symphonies. He has given recitals in London, New York, Reykjavik, Mexico City and Houston, and performed with the Tokyo, Pro Arte and St. Lawrence string quartets and the Mirecourt Trio. His concert reviews have been published online on The Classical Review and Slipped Disc.
ROCO performing at the Miller Outdoor Theatre. Animation by James Templeton. Credit: Rolando Ramon
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, ROCO continues its clever use of tech, programming that ranges from Beethoven to Ellington, and an emphasis on the music of women and composers of color.
Alecia Lawyer is having a pretty typical weekday. A fundraising breakfast at 8:30 a.m. A rehearsal. A donor lunch, a tour of a new venue, then a couple more donor events. “Then maybe dinner.”
Lawyer, who is fond of reminding people she is not a lawyer, is a walking (sometimes running) example of the eternal hustle that goes into running a nonprofit arts organization. The founder, artistic director, and oboist of ROCO, the Houston chamber orchestra currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, she’s a cheerful blur of proselytizing and planning, fundraising, hosting and performing. She conducted this interview from her parked car, ready to spring into her next duties. She’s all ROCO, all the time, planting with the vigor of a nonprofit arts Johnny Appleseed.
“The last time I bought a car, they actually offered me a job,” she says. “But it’s not a hustle, and it’s not a sell. It is matching people’s resources with their passions. They understand that we’re about systemic change. We’re not just about concerts. We’re about truly layering partnerships and connectivity and ways to amplify everyone in Houston around music. That is the mission: To shape the future of performing arts, of what this could be.”
Those are big words, but ROCO also puts up big results. They have performed 150 world premieres, and have been live streaming concerts since 2013 in all seven continents (“We didn’t have to chip a penguin in Antarctica,” Lawyer said). They are the second-most prolific commissioning group in the U.S., and No. 2 in the world when it comes to programming women composers and composers of color. They’ve had more than 350 broadcasts on American Public Media’s classical music show “Performance Today.” They make a point of starting early – 5 p.m. – and finishing in time for you to get dinner, get home, and get the kids to bed.
ROCO performs four concerts every season with the 40-strong core orchestra at The Church of St. John the Divine on River Oaks Blvd — including the Saturday program that includes Delyana Lazarova conducting the Texas premiere of Clarice Assad’s ”Evolution of AI” (and, for the more tradition-minded, Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 7”) – and at other venues, including Miller Outdoor Theater and the Brockman Hall for Opera at Rice University Shepherd School of Music. But they’re constantly playing breakout shows all over the city, at parks, schools, and other venues, many of which you wouldn’t usually associate with classical music.
A recent Saturday night brought ROCO to the historic Deluxe Theatre in the Fifth Ward. A crowd notable for its diversity in age, ethnicity, and formality of wardrobe watched visiting composer and violinist Nicole Cherry, from the University of Texas San Antonio, duet with ROCO concert master Scott St. John in a show focused on the London-based 19th-century Afro-European violinist George Bridgewater. The program also included works by composers ranging from Beethoven to Duke Ellington.
It was Cherry’s first time performing with ROCO, but she’s long been a fan.
“I see them as a benchmark for what nonprofit arts organizations can aspire to be,” she said. “To me, ROCO embodies the spirit of innovation while honoring history—creating connections between people, artists, and the art itself in a way that reignites passion for the craft. Performing with them is a dream artistic collaboration.”
Creative, accessible programming is at the heart of ROCO’s mission. The March 6 Make Some Noise! event at Padre’s Wine Bar will invite audience members to try their hands at various instruments (Lawyer describes it as “an adult instrument petting zoo”). On April 11, ROCO will perform live scores to Buster Keaton’s “The General” (1926) and Disney’s “Silly Symphony: Music Land” (1935).
Lawyer grew up in the East Texas town of Van (“it’s pronounced ‘Vay-an,’ she jokes), and played on her high school drumline. She studied oboe at Southern Methodist University. On an early-‘90s trip to New York with her fiancé (now husband), she ended up at Lincoln Center and saw the Juilliard building.
“It was a Sunday and the door said, ‘We’re not open, do not come in’,” she said. “So I went in.”
Once inside, she asked if she could audition for oboe. It turned out another potential oboe player had canceled, and Lawyer took that spot for later in the week. That’s how she made it into Juilliard.
It’s a wild story, but it somehow makes sense. Lawyer is very good at opening doors, and bringing music to people where they live (or even where they don’t live: she has grown fanatical about displaying ROCO QR codes all over Houston. Again, Johnny Appleseed).
The end goal is both simple and audacious.
“We are taking you on a tour of your city through music,” Lawyer said. One concert, one venue at a time.
Chris Vognar is a freelance culture writer and the 2009 Nieman Arts and Culture Fellow at Harvard University.
Photography by Rolando Ramon[/caption]
Source: Violinist Nicole Cherry Honors Black Composers at River Oaks Chamber Orchestra Concert
The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (ROCO) brings together musicians from all over the United States and Canada, working to ensure that classical music remains a living, breathing art form. Its Connections Series takes ROCO musicians to unique venues across the city. One of those venues was 5th Ward’s historic DeLUXE Theater, where violinist Dr. Nicole Cherry joined ROCO for a special concert on Jan. 25. The evening featured selections from Dr. Cherry’s project “ForgeWithGeorge,” inspired by the contributions of Afro-European violin virtuoso George Bridgetower.
George Augustus Bridgetower was a British musician of Polish and African descent. Born around 1778 in Poland, he showed musical talent at an early age. A child prodigy, he made his debut performance in Paris in 1789. He soon moved with his family to London, where the future King George VI took an interest in him and funded his musical education at the Royal Opera House and Royal Academy of Music. He went on to perform several concerts over the next decade. In 1803, he visited Vienna. There, he met and became friends with famed composer Ludwig van Beethoven, who dedicated a piece to him.
Like Bridgetower, Dr. Cherry is a talented Black violinist whose gift made room for her. After receiving her master’s degree in music from Juilliard, she went on to join the Marian Anderson String Quartet, which had previously won the International Cleveland Quartet Competition in 1991, becoming the first African American ensemble in history to win a classical music competition. Dr. Cherry joined in the early 2000s, and the quartet was Ensemble in Residence at Prairie View A&M University from 2001 to 2005.
Cherry’s doctoral research at Texas Tech focused on Bridgetower and other Black musicians often omitted from history, inspiring her 2016 project “ForgeWithGeorge.” Now an assistant professor of violin at the University of Texas-San Antonio, Dr. Cherry aims to honor the legacies of little-known Black composers. In that vein, she collaborated with ROCO Concertmaster and Artistic Partner Scott St. John on this concert.
At a time when DEI is under attack, ROCO’s commitment to diverse voices is notable. A 2019 study by the Institute for Composer Diversity ranked ROCO the No. 1 ensemble for featuring works by women composers, as well as the No. 2 ensemble for composers of color. Thus, ROCO proved to be an ideal partner for the project. The location was intentional: “Performing in historic spaces like Houston’s DeLUXE Theater—the city’s first African American movie theater—carries a powerful resonance for me,” said Dr. Cherry. “It’s more than just a venue; it’s a testament to our history and resilience, and it deepens my commitment to honoring the past.”
Dr. Cherry reflected on the past in her onstage remarks. “It just gives me… goosebumps to think right here, right across the street, along the block: Cab Calloway. James Brown. Ray Charles. Martin Luther King, possibly—any number of people that could have strolled these streets and sent a message, served, or just been entertained, period,” she said. “I am very humbled by the opportunity to continue on that legacy, that platform that they set.”
Notably, the concert was centered primarily on works by Black composers, starting with “Sonata for Two Violins” by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Born in the Caribbean in 1745 to a wealthy white plantation owner and an African slave mother, Bologne was taken to France when he was seven. He was enrolled in a private fencing academy there at 13. Bologne excelled as both a fencer, competing against the best swordsmen in Europe and becoming an officer in the court of King Louis XV, who made him a “chevalier,” (French for “knight”). But he also composed concertos, sonatas, and quartet pieces, becoming conductor of the Concert de Amateurs in 1773 and the Paris Opera in 1776. He became an all-too-rare sight in French society: a biracial free man of color.
His work “Sonata for Two Violins” was reimagined as a duet between Dr. Cherry and Mr. St. John. It provides a window into the musical environment of late-18th-century Paris but also showcases the skills of two talented players. “The interplay between the two violins reflects a delightful conversation,” the program notes enthuse, and indeed, the two violinists complement each other beautifully. Even in counterpoint, Dr. Cherry and St. John seemed to be in almost perfect sync.
The next two pieces were from the “ForgeWithGeorge” project. “I got stuck on George Bridgetower because of his fascinating life with the greatest of the great: Haydn, Beethoven in England and Vienna, as well as being patronized by King George IV,” Dr. Cherry said. “The next couple pieces are based on that idea: bringing to life the concepts and contributions of George Bridgetower. And these are two commissions that came out of my ‘ForgeWithGeorge’ project. I don’t want to talk too much about it. Because that’s the problem with getting a doctorate: you talk too much,” she said, to laughter. “However, I want to play for you two of those examples.”
The first, “Remembering 1619,” was composed in 2019 to mark the 400th anniversary of the first African slaves being brought to America. After meeting Harvard composition professor Dr. Yvette Janine Jackson, Cherry asked her to compose the work, which creates a connection between the Negro spiritual and 19th-century classical music. Specifically, the work connects the hymn “Go Down, Moses” with Niccolò Paganini’s “Moses Fantasia,” both of which examine the narrative of Moses parting the Red Sea.
The beginning was unexpected: Cherry, in a high, clear, tremulous voice, sang the first few lines of “Go Down, Moses,” then began to play. “The violin’s voice becomes a storyteller,” the program notes say, and indeed Cherry gave the instrument its own dramatic voice: hair-raising high notes, dramatic pauses, even picking strings. But that voice was soon joined by another noise: was it thunder rolling? Steps creaking? Moving furniture? In fact, the electronic tape (courtesy of Dr. Jackson) is of a slave ship, demonstrating the looming horrors of slavery.
The mood lightened with the next composition, also commissioned by Dr. Cherry. She’d attended Juilliard with violinist and composer Dr. David Wallace, who wrote “If Only…a Fantasy on Rita Dove’s The Bridge Tower.” It’s based on part of “Sonata Mulattica,” a poetic novel by Rita Dove (the first Black person to serve as U.S. poet laureate) and dramatizes the relationship between Bridgetower and Beethoven.
As previously mentioned, Beethoven was so taken with Bridgetower’s talent that he dedicated a piece to him. Sonata Mulattica premiered in 1803, with Bridgetower practically sight-reading a piece he’d had no time to rehearse. He’d add brilliant, improvised flourishes to the work, thrilling Beethoven, who reportedly exclaimed: “Once more, my dear fellow!” But after the two fell out (over a girl), Beethoven instead devoted the piece to violinist Rudolph Kreutzer (who wouldn’t even play it). The piece dramatizes that fallout: “If only Ludwig had been better-looking,” it reads. “If he hadn’t drunk his wine from lead cups. If only he had found true love… They could’ve palled around some. Just a couple of wild and crazy guys strutting the town like rock stars.” Dr. Cherry moved deftly between different settings: from playing to singing, from sitting to standing.
The parodic, comedic piece came with a dramatic surprise when Cherry stopped in the middle of a passage. “I am so sorry. The violin has completely fallen.” Cold weather can damage string instruments, causing strings to break or go out of tune. Still, she soldiered through, gamely delivering these lines (half-sung, half-spoken, partly even rapped) in between passages of florid, flowing violin. Together, “Remembering 1619” and “If Only…” formed a piece of startling, dramatic performance art.
Next came the piece Beethoven had composed for Bridgetower. The Violin Sonata in A Major is better known as the Kreutzer Sonata (thanks to Beethoven). In 1832, a version written for string quintet was found. With Dr. Cherry and St. John on violin, Suzanne LeFevre (viola), Shino Hayashi & Philip Borter (both on cello), this lush, vivid piece was brought to life in a richly satisfying way.
The concert concluded with another unexpected choice: a trio version of jazz great Duke Ellington’s gospel-tinged “Come Sunday.” Written for his Black, Brown and Beige concert suite, the piece has become a jazz standard. But this string trio version gave it a distinct orchestral feel, placing one of jazz music’s greatest titans into a classical context—and achieving Dr. Cherry’s goal of honoring great Black composers.
Thanks to ROCO on the Go supporters:
Kathy and Ed Segner · Douglas and Cathy Selman · JoDee and Cliff Wright · Vivie O’Sullivan · Nancy Brown · Mary McBeth · Alexander, Bent, & Chi-Chi Johansen · Mary Ann and Mark Miller · Sharon Ley Lietzow · Mike Stude · Strake Foundation
Choose your own sound adventure while traveling! ROCO on the Go allows music lovers to listen to ROCO’s vast catalogue from anywhere! Each playlist features a different mood category of music to allow the listener to choose their mood.
In ROCO’s Unchambered Series, audiences don’t just enjoy a musician-curated chamber concert—they also get to know our artists personally through the programs they present, and through interactive Q&A during the performance!
Ahead of Saturday’s series-opener, we asked Founder, Artistic Director, and principal oboist Alecia Lawyer and principal keyboardist Audrey Andrist a few burning questions—read on to learn how they each got started with music, plus discover some of their faves, and more:
Where did you grow up, and what were your first musical experiences?
Audrey: I grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. My first experiences of music were listening to CBC Radio which played lots of classical music, and listening to my dad’s amazing record collection of jazz and big band music (Duke Ellington was his favorite). My dad was a farmer and my mom a librarian, but they were both excellent amateur musicians. My mom was the organist in our church for 65 years (!) and my dad was a drummer, and had a dance band that played a lot of gigs in our area.
Alecia: A small town by Tyler, TX! My mom was a choir director, piano teacher, and my elementary music teacher earlier. My dad was my band director. I had mom for second period and dad for third period through high school! I got to try every instrument in my dad’s band hall, and I believe I sang before I spoke!
How did you come to specialize in your instrument?
Audrey: As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be a pianist. It never occurred to me to want to do anything else actually! I started lessons when I was 6 years old and became obsessed, and I am still obsessed!
Alecia: Mom wanted me to play something different ,and I don’t mind standing out in a crowd (shocker…) so oboe it was, even from the beginning. I did learn snare drum to be able to march with a drum, and then served as drum major. Those cymbals were really awful to deal with! So that is why I am such a percussion-ophile.
Favorite non-classical music?
Audrey: Jazz and old-fashioned big band, for sure. Also when I was in college, I owned ALL of Billy Joel’s albums!
Alecia: 80’s rock!
Favorite movie(s)?
Audrey: That’s a tough one. Probably E.T.
Alecia: Aside from the movies everyone knows I love [editor’s note: Star Wars!] – Knight’s Tale, Pretty Woman, Galaxy Quest
Favorite food(s)?
Audrey: My favorite food is good food, haha! No seriously, I do enjoy many types of food—probably Thai is a clear favorite though.
Alecia: Indian, Thai green chicken curry, high tea, fried chicken, burned okra, slightly dirty Martinis, unusual wines. I can’t eat the same thing every day. Always up for something different!
Favorite place(s) to travel?
Audrey: Houston! And also Europe.
Alecia: France, Japan, Scotland—ANYWHERE!
If you weren’t a professional musician, what other job might you be doing?
Audrey: I never wanted to do anything except music/piano. But if I had to do something else, I would be interested in working in an art gallery, because visual art is a great passion of mine. I would also love to volunteer at my local library to read to children, because I adore children’s literature.
Alecia: Selling real estate.
Favorite aspects of performing chamber music, versus performing in a full orchestra?
Audrey: Definitely the camaraderie and level of musical communication we can have in a chamber group, because there aren’t very many of us so we can always hear each other really deeply. I love listening to my chamber music colleagues on that very personal level, and sharing that communication with our audiences.
Alecia: In ROCO, there is no difference. We are not the Borg…but we are one organism, performing large chamber music. So I get the best of both worlds with ROCO!
Thanks so much Audrey and Alecia!
Come and experience the magic of this dynamic duo this Saturday, October 19th, at 5 pm at Horizon on Sunset—and bring your own questions and curiosity—tickets are Pay-What-You-Wish, online or at door!
As ROCO celebrates its 20th season, founder, Artistic Director, and oboe player Alecia Lawyer shares what’s in store.
Source: ROCO’s 20th Season Is Here
This season promises to be filled with incredible concerts that will uplift your spirit and engage your senses.
Upcoming Performances to Look Forward To:
Unchambered Series
Saturday, October 19 at 5:00 PM
Horizon on Sunset Art Gallery & Event Center
Featuring Alecia Lawyer on oboe and Audrey Andrist on piano for an intimate concert experience.
Day of the Dead Concert
Saturday, November 2 at 5:00 PM
St. John the Divine
A full 40-piece orchestra performance to honor this vibrant cultural celebration.
Want to learn more or get tickets? Visit ROCO.org for all the details on these performances and more!
In a night filled with melodies and milestones, ROCO — rhymes with loco — celebrated its 20th anniversary with grandeur at its Revelry Gala on Sept. 28 at Houston’s newest luxury hotspot, The Thompson Hotel.
Source: Houston orchestra hits all the right notes at 20th anniversary gala
When the final note of ROCO’s 20th anniversary “Revelry” gala concert was played, the response was rapturous.
BY Shelby Hodge // 10.02.24
ROCO performs as an encore ‘Champagne Galop’ with Mei-Ann-Chen at ROCO’s 20th anniversary season opening gala. (Photo by Asaeda Badat)
When the final note of ROCO’s 20th anniversary “Revelry” gala concert was played, the response was rapturous. Those departing the Church of St. John the Divine practically floated on air so moved were they by the works performed. And that was just the beginning of the celebration that continued with a posh dinner and program at the Thompson Houston hotel.
The musical program, under direction of ROCO artistic partner Mei-Ann Chen, featured the world premiere ROCO commission Constellations by Viet Cuong, ROCO’s Season 20 composer in residence. The piece spotlighted the “constellations” of ROCO musicians as soloists in each movement. Mark Buller‘s powerful ROCO commission John the Revelator paid tribute to the church, the company’s home venue.
Lastly, Gustav Holst‘s vivid tour of our solar system, dubbed The Planets, was featured in a new rescoring from Jim Stephenson with mesmerizing original animation by James Templeton.
ROCO artistic director and oboist Alecia Lawyer founded the nonprofit in 2005 fulfilling her vision of “starting something that was human first. And I thought of the people that I wanted to play with instead of pieces to play. It was people from all over the United States that could smile on stage and play at the highest level.”
Two decades later, ROCO enjoys national recognition for its boundary-pushing performances, 150 world premiere commissions and its commitment to innovative, human-first musical experiences for diverse, multigenerational audiences.
“Celebrating 20 years was a monumental moment for us,” Lawyer says. “It’s a testament to the vision and passion of our musicians, board members and supporters who have helped us evolve into one of the most forward-thinking orchestras in the country. The Revelry gala was a perfect reflection of our spirit — a celebration of joy, connection and, of course, the musicians of ROCO.”
The dinner evening honored Mimi Lloyd for her dedication in bringing classical music to the Houston community, Chef Chris Shepherd with the Wildcatting in the Arts Award, and SheSpace, a season sponsor, with the ROCO Pillar of the Arts Award. Key to the night’s success were chairs Ginger Blanton, Elizabeth Blanton and Leslie Blanton.
Adding an additional note of sophistication to the proceedings was emcee Fred Child, host of American Public Media’s Performance Today, the most-listened-to classical music radio show in America. ROCO has been featured nearly 350 times on the popular program.
PC Seen: Lois and George Stark, Ali and Frank Donnelly, Amanda McMillian and Benjamin Holloway, Mary Catherine and Bailey Jones, Rachel and John Rosson, Taylor and Dr. Gregory Scott Brown, Jeremy Fain, Gayl and Chuck Carlberg, Connie Pfeiffer, Regina Rogers, Alex and Daniel Rose, and Astrid and Soren Marklund.
Lawrence Wheeler | 30 SEP 2024
The 40-piece chamber orchestra ROCO (formerly the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra), began its 20th season with three world premieres,* including “a new twist on an out-of-this-world classic.” Titled “Remarkable” (after the first letter of ROCO), conductor Mei-Ann Chen led this concert at The Church of St. John the Divine in Houston on September 28th. The concert was hosted by guest emcee Fred Child of American Public Media’s Performance Today. PT has featured ROCO more than 300 times.
ROCO was founded in 2005 at The Church of St. John the Divine by oboist and Juilliard graduate Alecia Lawyer. A charismatic director, she has assembled a group of musicians from all over the US and Canada with impressive solo, chamber music, and orchestral resumés. Lawyer has also attracted extensive support from sponsors, providing longevity to its mission. ROCO is a leader in commissioning new works, especially those by women and composers of color. They are second in the world for gender-diverse programming. Their publicity says, “See how we’re shaping the future of classical music!” One could say they see that future as being “remakeable.”
Houston composer Mark Buller has enjoyed widespread recognition and success. He has written music for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Chamber Choir, and ROCO, with each organization requesting repeat commissions. This evening’s work, John the Revelator, pays tribute to ROCO’s home venue of The Church of St. John the Divine. Located in River Oaks, Houston’s premiere community, this church has a long history of supporting classical music concerts. As far back as 1982, the church housed the Texas Chamber Orchestra.
As part of this musical “thank-you,” the church’s magnificent organ and accomplished organist, Steven Newberry, were featured. Buller drew inspiration from St. John’s Book of Revelation in the Bible, and the song “John the Revelator” by Blind Willie Johnson (1897-1945). Jaunty and starkly pentatonic—appropriate given its inspiration from a famous blues song—it features recurring motifs in call-and-response choruses. Solo French horn and oboe are featured, with each section briefly highlighted. Organ soloist Newberry dispatched the virtuosic organ part with aplomb. Conductor Chen led ably and ardently.
Next, ROCO presented composer-in-residence Viet Cuong’s latest creation Constellations. Lawyer had suggested using the seating chart for the orchestra viewed from above as a map and lay constellations on top. Where the stars aligned, those musicians would be the soloists for each movement. Constellations is a concerto grosso, a baroque genre that features several soloists (the concertino) and an orchestra (the ripieno or tutti). The form is ritornello, where the internal parts “return.” The soloists include a string quartet, solo cello, oboe, and French horn. The featured ROCO “stars” played beautifully. Conductor Chen again conducted enthusiastically.
In a pre-performance video, Cuong explained how the four selected constellations (Virgo, Aries, Sagittarius, and Leo) related to four beloved family members– his father, brother, husband, and mother. This convergence of celestial bodies and musical expression is quite literally Music of the Spheres. Played without pause, each of the four sections bears a family resemblance. The prevailing emotion is love, as heard in the general, if not entire, use of tonal harmonies. Non-confrontational and new-agey, Constellations adopts an enveloping and undulating aural sound world. While pleasing to the ear, the conversation begins to sound repetitive. A smattering of familial conflict and resolution, represented by dissonance returning to consonance, would be a welcome addition.
While vastly different in tone, the two world premiere pieces share some common characteristics in modern classical music: polyrhythms, diatonicism, simple melodies, and bombastic climaxes. Maintaining a balance between the emotional and intellectual is a continual quest, along with a compelling and challenging point of view. A prime example of that achieved success is the next work, Gustav Holst’s The Planets. One of classical music’s superstars, it was unjustly criticized when first performed due to its innovative nature. Since it ends softly with “Neptune, the Mystic,” some early performances switched movements to end with “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity.” Parts of this work, particularly “Mars, the Bringer of War,” were the inspiration for John Williams’ music for Star Wars.
Continuing a trend of ROCO to repurpose large-scale works, The Planets was orchestrated for chamber orchestra by James Stephenson. Normally performed by an orchestra of 90-100 musicians, it was expertly rescored for ROCO’s 40-member ensemble. The result was surprisingly full and rich-sounding, given the generous and color-revealing acoustics of the church sanctuary. Solo French horn and trumpet had double duty, with the strings producing a volume of sound that belied their numbers. Conductor Chen led ideal tempos and maintained excellent balances. Of particular note was the solemn and patriotic melody in the middle section of “Jupiter.” Beginning mezzoforte, as indicated, Chen carefully modulated the three iterations through forte to fortissimo. Just when you thought the volume had reached its limit, even more was produced, all the while maintaining nobility and unified sound. The result was simply thrilling and, for me, a tear-inducing highlight of the concert.
This performance was accompanied by animations on two screens that included pictures of the planets and the associated Greek gods. Part of ROCO’s multi-media innovations, it served to inform some audience members. While well done, for me it was like having closed caption translations for a language I already speak. Of more interest were those times when the animation stopped and the camera was on the players.
The performance was excellent, but had a very few flaws. The beginning of “Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age” had pitch discrepancies. Likewise, the pre-recorded female chorus in “Neptune, the Mystic” was not entirely in tune, as well as being too loud. Conductor Chen was very enthusiastic, often clapping and throwing kisses at various orchestra members between movements. That felt more fitting for a youth orchestra rather than an elite professional ensemble. ■
(* The third world premiere, “Cityscapes” by John Wineglass, was not part of this concert, but was performed the night before by ROCO at the Miller Outdoor Theatre.)
Lawrence Wheeler was a music professor for 44 years. He has served as principal viola with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, and guest principal with the Dallas and Houston symphonies. He has given recitals in London, New York, Reykjavik, Mexico City and Houston, and performed with the Tokyo, Pro Arte and St. Lawrence string quartets and the Mirecourt Trio. His concert reviews have been published online on The Classical Review and Slipped Disc.
Delyana Lazarova is one of the newest faces ROCO’s audiences will see this year. Photo by Violeta Alvarez
ROCO turns 20 this year and will continue in its tradition of offering the most fun with chamber music for the 2024-25 season. Themed “ROCO 20,” the season is marked by new faces and exciting milestones.
Source: ROCO Turns 20 With New Faces, Spaces
ROCO turns 20 this year and will continue in its tradition of offering the most fun a person can experience with chamber music for the 2024-25 season. Themed “ROCO 20,” the season is marked by new faces (conductor Delyana Lazarova) and exciting milestones (reaching its 150th world premiere commissions).
Lazarova, ROCO’s newest artistic partner, joins other leaders within the organization like conductor Mei-Ann Chen and concertmaster Scott St. John. Born in Bulgaria, she has a natural affinity to Eastern European and Russian, but feels equally at home in the Viennese Classical period, influenced by her studies in Switzerland. While with ROCO, she will lead a side-by-side performance with selected students from the Houston Youth Symphony and will premiere Clarice Assad’s piano concerto ‘Total Eclipse,’ among others.
“Delyana is phenomenal; she is one of our absolute favorites,” said Alecia Lawyer, ROCO’s founder and artistic director. “Within the first rehearsal, musicians came up to me during the break and said ROCO should hire her.”
Lawyer credits Lazarova’s inspiring take on the classics as one of the elements that caught her eye … or ear, rather.
“I was able to get her to come to a wonderful festival I play in every January. She did Beethoven’s seventh there, and I cried four times during it,” Lawyer said. “She makes the classics so good and so fresh and well done, and the pieces still have a vibrancy. My favorite part of it was when she was rehearsing. She did it so well and efficiently, and then during the concert, she completely lit up. That’s also what happened when she was last with ROCO. We have photos of her conducting and her facial expressions. She’s so expressive as a human, which is something I invite our musicians to be.”
In addition to the new faces, there are also new places added to ROCO’s roster this year, including Horizon on Sunset Art Gallery and Event Center, the Dan Flavin Installation at Richmond Hall, the resurrected River Oaks Theater and the DeLUXE Theater.
What’s more, ROCO is not just expanding its reach in the city. The group is expanding its ROCO On The Go program outside the Lone Star State and into Utah. For anyone who might be unfamiliar, ROCO On The Go is an initiative where small, index card-sized QR codes are mounted along places like Buffalo Bayou or the Texas Medical Center, and upon scanning the code, a site-specific piece of music is played from ROCO’s archives.
Photo by Violeta Alvarez
Speaking of the archives, one of ROCO’s main tenets is accessibility, and the group goes through painstaking efforts to make sure anyone and everyone can listen to its music. Or in other words, the organization has made strides in removing any barrier that might prevent people from accessing its work.
“I jokingly say we are the ‘no excuses’ orchestra,” Lawyer said. “We give agency to our audience, to our musicians, to the consumers of our art, and I think what people don’t recognize is that audiences complete us because music is a language. If we’re just playing it for ourselves, it’s completely one-dimensional, but if we can just treat it like a language that permeates all cultures, then it becomes something that is in dialogue continuously.”
ROCO has brought music to the masses, and the people have responded quite well, but do not just take this article’s word for it. See the stats below:
It’s all part and parcel for a city that treasures its performing arts groups.
“I would love the City of Houston to promote the arts as a real jewel for who and what Houston is,” Lawyer said. “ROCO is a good example of being in the city and showing the best of the city. Listeners get a tour of the city through our music. The arts can be used to draw people to Houston.”
Photo by Daniel Ortiz
The ROCO 2024-25 season is as follows:
Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation In Concert Series
Remarkable
7:30 p.m., September 27, Miller Outdoor Theatre, 6000 Hermann Park
5 p.m., September 28 at The Church of St. John the Divine, 2450 River Oaks
Outspoken
5 p.m., November 2 at The Church of St. John the Divine, 2450 River Oaks
Courageous
5 p.m., Feb. 8, 2025 at The Church of St. John the Divine, 2450 River Oaks
Optimistic
5 p.m., April 26, 2025 at Brockman Opera Hall, Rice University, 6100 Main
The Unchambered Series
5 p.m., October 19 at Horizon on Sunset Art Gallery & Event Center, 2501
Sunset, featuring Alecia Lawyer, oboe and Audrey Andrist, piano
7 p.m., November 21 at the Dan Flavin Installation at Richmond Hall, 1500 Richmond, featuring Bernhard Scully, horn and Matthew McClung, percussion
The Connections Series
10 a.m., December 7 at Houston Botanic Garden, 1 Botanic Lane
Yuletide with ROCO and Jazz Houston
6:30 p.m., January 7, 2025 at Saint Arnold Brewing Company, 2000 Lyons Beer & Brass featuring the ROCO Brass Quintet
5 p.m., January 25, 2025 at the DeLUXE Theater, 3303 Lyons
Featuring Scott St. John and Nicole Cherry, violin
5 p.m., March 29, 2025 at the Asia Society Texas Center, 1370 Southmore
Viet Cuong: Song Cycle, telling the story of his family’s escape from Saigon
6 p.m., April 11, 2025 at The River Oaks Theatre, 2009 West Gray
Silent film “The General” and “Disney’s Silly Symphony: Music Land” rescore with ROCO live orchestra
For tickets or information, call 713-665-2700 or visit ROCO.org. Tickets are pay as you wish.
Livestreaming free to the world since 2013, ROCO has been a pioneer in expanding access to classical music, through the innovative use of multimedia to energize, modernize, and personalize the concert experience. Continually striving to enhance quality, our livestreams have come a long way in the past eleven years—and since 2021, have been transformed through our work with BEND Productions as our primary partner.
“BEND Productions has been honored to be the premiere live video production partner for ROCO over the past several years,” says Ben Doyle, Founder. “With some performances utilizing as many as 12 cameras, our live-streaming broadcasts have been a large and successful undertaking that hopefully has allowed audiences to view ROCO concerts in a whole new way. ROCO has been a great partner in encouraging the use of video technology, and by opening up concerts to viewers in Houston and beyond who may not have had previous access to high-quality, free performing arts programming.”
Commissioned originally by the Stockton Symphony, composer John Wineglass‘ Cityscapes is a musical portrait of the colorful contrasts of city life, presented in its premiere with accompanying video of the sights and sounds of Stockton, California.
To open ROCO’s 20th season, we commissioned John to create a rescoring sized for full 40-piece chamber orchestra—a perfect canvas to showcase original film created by BEND Productions and Houston First, celebrating Houston’s rich tapestry of architectural and natural beauty, and its many distinctive neighborhoods, cuisines, and cultures.
“We wanted to utilize the amazing collection of existing footage from the Visit Houston stock library, shot by local videographers such as Lance Childers, Media Content Producer for Houston First—to bring to life the fantastic music of John Wineglass,” says Ben Doyle. “This compilation edit pays homage to our great city and to the artists and creatives who live and work here.”
From Justin Nava, primary video editor: “We start in Downtown Houston and the bayou which are signatures of our city, and the initial crescendo in the music sets the tone and location. Then we move through the surrounding neighborhoods geographically, starting with the Museum District and Hermann Park, which brings us to Miller Outdoor Theatre and allows us to show one of our first shots of ROCO.”
“From there we head to the Houston Zoo, and over into the Med Center by Metro rail. We really wanted to flow with the different musical moods to take the viewer on a tour of different aspects of Houston. We are a rich industrial city, but Houston has far more green spaces than people expect. Our high-end dining and arts scenes inspired the cuts of River Oaks and the Menil, but the street culture is a huge part of our identity as well, highlighted by the local artists and hip-hop elements. As we reach the more playful sections of the piece, it was fun to show off attractions that are not necessarily tied to geography, like the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and our nightlife. And of course, for the final section, we had to show NASA and why we are known as Space City.”
Join us as we kick off our 20th season, and experience the world premiere of John Wineglass’ new scoring of Cityscapes, presented with original film by BEND Productions and Houston First—in ROCO In Concert: REMARKABLE, Friday, September 27, 2024, 7:30 pm at Miller Outdoor Theatre! (Free admission, reserve tickets at Miller’s website starting Sept. 26th.)
Credit: Daniel Ortiz[/caption]
