Joe's Playlist

ROCO’s In Concert series opened on September 23 and 24 with “Family” at Miller Outdoor Theatre and The Church of St. John the Divine! 

Artistic Partner Mei-Ann Chen lead the orchestra in a program inspired by community, family, and hope, honoring Houston’s cultural diversity. Juan Pablo Contreras‘ Mariachitlán takes you to the colorful streets of the composer’s birthplace in Jalisco, Mexico, featuring a mariachi band, and the traditional Vietnamese folk song Bèo dạt mây trôi, tells the story of longing to be reunited with missing loved ones. Grammy-nominated guitarist Mak Grgic featured as soloist in the world premiere of Borders, a ROCO-commissioned guitar concerto by Michael Abels (composer for the films NOPE, GET OUT, and US), echoing themes of strife and healing. Ludwig van Beethoven‘s dramatic Symphony No. 5, nicknamed the “Fate Symphony,” wraped up the evening, reminding us that our fate can be in our own hands, encouraging us to write our own stories.

Beethoven, Symphony No. 5 - III. Scherzo: Allegro, IV. Allegro - Presto

ROCO's Season Eight Opener boasts exotic works by Reena Esmail (Teen Murti for String Orchestra), Huang Ruo (Folk Songs for Orchestra), Bela Bartók (Second Suite, op. 4), and Benjamin Britten (Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and String Orchestra). With the esteemed Mei-Ann Chen conducting, and joined by soloists Zach Averyt, tenor, and Danielle Kuhlmann, horn, ROCO Celebrates Asia was performed September 28, 2013, at The Church of St. John the Divine, Houston, TX.

Ruo, Folk Songs For Orchestra, II. Love Song from Kang Ding

ROCO continued its 2016-2017 season with “Space: The Final Playground.” The program featured the Texas premiere of a new ROCO commission – Michael Gilbertson’s Cosmos, a piece for wind quintet and orchestra in which each movement is inspired by an element of the cosmos. During the work, soloists from WindSync — a theatrical, Houston­ based wind quintet — moved throughout the performance space. David Danzmayr conducted and Scott St. John returned as concertmaster. The program, which also included Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 6, Vilém Tauský’s Coventry, and Elegía Andina by Gabriela Lena Frank, was recorded November 19, 2016, at The Church of St. John the Divine, Houston, TX.

Gabriela Lena Frank, Elegía Andina

J.S. Bach Keyboard Concerto in E, BWV 1053 (1, Allegro moderato): Peter Vinograde, pianist, with the Canticum Novum Chamber Orchestra, Kenneth Knight, Conductor. Performance of May 6, 2012.

JS Bach Keyboard Concerto in E, BWV 1053 (1): Peter Vinograde, Canticum Novum, Kenneth Knight

For ROCO's debut album, it was important for the selection of works to be a collaborative process. We surveyed our musicians and asked them to select their favorite pieces from ROCO's repertoire over our first twelve seasons. Given our long history of commissioning, it was not surprising that five of our then fifty-eight world premiere commissions rose to the top. The recording session were originally scheduled for August 2017 in the Texas Hill Country, just outside of Houston. Unfortunately, Hurricane Harvey struck just days before, resulting in an eight month delay of the project. The sixth piece, Anthem of Hope: Houston Strong, commissioned in honor of the resiliency of the Houston community in the wake of the storm, was added to complete the story of the album.

Visions Take Flight

DiLorenzo, Jabberwocky

This is a preview of first draft recording of the Balkanisms: Suite for Guitar and Ensemble. No mix nor master has been done, and these are just the first edits of recordings done with the Slovenian Chamber Orchestra.

The orchestration is flexible:
- guitar with string quartet
- guitar with string ensemble
- guitar with string ensemble plus winds and percussion
- guitar with orchestra

All our available upon request.

2019 MAK GRGIC MACEDONIAN GIRL(1)

ROCO's Seventh Season was "a fusion of cultures and generations". This concert featured Kazem Abdullah as guest conductor, and principal cellist, Richard Belcher, as soloist, performing the Haydn Cello Concerto. The concert also featured a world premiere by composer and jazz pianist, Paul English, and Schubert's Symphony No. 4. Performed at The Church of St. John the Divine, Houston, TX, on February 18, 2012.

Haydn, Concerto in C for Violoncello and Orchestra, I. Moderato

Haydn, Concerto in C for Violoncello and Orchestra, II. Adagio

Haydn, Concerto in C for Violoncello and Orchestra, III. Finale - Allegro Molto

ROCO’s Seventh Season was “a fusion of cultures and generations". The Season Opener featured Guest Conductor, Mei-Ann Chen, conducting Martinů’s Toccata e due Canzoni, Mozart's Symphony No. 40, and Finzi’s Let Us Garlands Bring, performed with baritone soloist, Timothy Jones. The performance also included works by Kernis and Balentine. Performed at The Church of St. John the Divine, Houston, TX, on October 22, 2011.

Kernis, Too Hot Toccata

ROCO’s In Concert series, which showcases the full 40-piece orchestra, kicked off at The Church of St. John the Divine on September 28, 2019, with “Time for Hope”, a concert built around a world premiere by Lisa Bielawa entitled “Centuries in the Hours”, sung by mezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin. The text for the work comes from a collection of personal writings by American women of the 18th-20th centuries whose life circumstances rendered them historically invisible. The concert also highlighted ROCO’s first-ever Artistic Partner, conductor Mei-Ann Chen, who will be returning each season for spirited collaborations. Chen led the orchestra in the program, which also included works by local Houston composers Alejandro Basulto and Mark Buller, as well as Desmond Ikegwuonu and Franz Joseph Haydn. Recorded September 28, 2019 at The Church of St. John the Divine, Houston, TX.

Desmond Ikegwuonu, Na So E Be

Love Notes, a livestreamed performance, kicked off ROCO’s Season 16 Unchambered series in a nature-inspired program of beauty, respite, and reflection, featuring flutist Rebecca Powell Garfield, oboist Spring Hill, and harpist Laurie Meister.

Works included Hovhaness’s picturesque "The Garden of Adonis" and Delibes’s iconic "Flower Duet" from his opera "Lakmé", as well as music by contemporary composers, including a world premiere from Karim Al-Zand, broadcast live from Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art without an in-person audience.

Al-Zand, Dance Interlude For Two Oboes & English Horn

ROCO is a Houston-based professional chamber orchestra known for its wide repertoire and engaging performances. ROCO.org

Haydn, Concerto in C for Violoncello and Orchestra, III. Finale - Allegro Molto

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