River Oaks Chamber Orchestra Announces 2016-2017 Season in the Woodlands

During its 2016–2017 season, River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (ROCO) launches a series of full orchestra concerts and revives its brass quintet series at The Woodlands United Methodist Church. Please find a full schedule below, and visit www.roco.org for more information or to purchase tickets.

Sunday, October 16, 2016, at 5 p.m.
ROCO Brass Quintet: “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. $25 general admission; $20 seniors and TWUMC members; $15 students

Friday, November 18, 2016, at 7:30 p.m.
ROCO In Concert: “Space: The Final Playground”
“Space: The Final Playground” features a 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 Gabriella Franks. $35 general admission; $25 seniors and TWUMC members; $15 students

Sunday, January 29, 2017, at 5 p.m.
ROCO Brass Quintet: “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. $25 general admission; $20 seniors and TWUMC members; $15 students

Friday, February 24, 2017, at 7:30 p.m.
ROCO In Concert: “People are People”
Grammy-nominated violinist Andrés Cárdenes leads ROCO from the chair at the annual conductorless concert, “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 and Aaron Copland’s Three Latin American Sketches. $35 general admission; $25 seniors and TWUMC members; $15 students

Friday, March 31, 2017, at 7:30 p.m.
ROCO In Concert: “Double Trouble”
The Season 12 “In Concert” series comes to a close with 'Double Trouble.” The concert is led by Steven Jarvi, conductor and Scott St. John as concertmaster. 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. $35 general admission; $25 seniors and TWUMC members; $15 students

Sunday, April 9, 2017, at 5 p.m.
ROCO Brass Quintet: “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 four-movement work for brass. Finally, the RBQ is thrilled to announce our first commissioned work for brass quintet; Houston-based musician and composer Paul English will be writing a piece for the group. $25 general admission; $20 seniors and TWUMC members; $15 students

ABOUT THE RIVER OAKS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (ROCO) is a 40-piece professional chamber orchestra that was founded in 2005 by Alecia Lawyer. A Juilliard-trained musician with an eclectic background as a performer, recording artist, adjunct professor and radio host, Lawyer had a vision to reimagine the orchestral experience for both audience and musicians. The result is ROCO: An orchestra of all-star musicians, distinguished conductors and contemporary composers who come together from all over the world to present unexpected classics, original compositions and delightful performances that dissolve the barriers between audience and orchestra.

Website: www.roco.org
Public phone number: 713-665-2700
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rocohouston
Instagram: @rocohouston
Twitter: @rocohouston