Rapturous Concert at a Historic Church Turns Into a Posh Party, Highlighting the Power of Classical Music and Houston’s Own ROCO

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.”

ROCO at 20

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.