“Juilliard-trained oboist Alecia Lawyer still admits to feeling amazement whenever she sees a real estate website citing River Oaks Chamber Orchestra—a.k.a. ROCO—as another great reason to relocate to Houston,” writes John DeMers in Monday’s (9/1) Arts+Culture Magazine (Texas). “ ‘We’ve gone from being “Alecia’s experiment” to a core cultural asset,’ says Lawyer…. It gives between 35 and 40 concerts a year, some with the full orchestra and others with a wild assortment of smaller, occasionally downright quirky ensembles.… In terms of funding—the final frontier for any arts organization—it has cobbled together an innovative model that uses fundraising and sponsorships to involve its musicians in the lives of its donors…. ROCO … [has] developed a program for youngsters called ROCOrooters, combining the better aspects of childcare and basic, age-appropriate music appreciation…. The 10th anniversary season … [includes] nine world-premiere commissions” by composers including Maria Newman, Anthony DiLorenzo, Derek Bermel, and Pierre Jalbert, plus “an entirely new concert series, the appropriate rebranding of ROCO chamber as ROCO unchambered, and a homecoming of sorts for several of its favorite musicians and collaborators…. ‘We’re always looking for authentic relationships with our audiences,’ Lawyer says.”
Posted September 5, 2014
