Why Conductorless?

Wikipedia defines conductorless as “a unique style of collaborative leadership in which the musicians interpret the music, not the conductor.” Performing conductorless requires collaboration, mutual respect, and “radical trust” It empowers the individual musicians in a way that translates into an exciting experience for the audience.

Removing the “wall” between orchestra and audience exposes an intimate conversation among the musicians and invites the audience into conversation with the chamber orchestra. Few orchestras of ROCO’s size attempt to perform conductorless, especially on a piece as challenging as Beethoven’s well-loved Fifth Symphony.

Sharing leadership among ROCO’s 40 musicians showcases the high level of artistry and strong spirit of “musical joie de vivre” that is ROCO’s signature. The result a fantastic audience experience that author/journalist, John DeMers calls, “the most fun you can have with serious music.”

Tickets to the Feb 13-14 Conductorless! Concert are available at http://www.rocohouston.org/.  The Saturday evening performance is at The Church of St. John the Divine at 5pm, along with free valet parking and the ROCOrooters and Club ROCO childcare/music education programs.

The Sunday performance will be a Valentine's Concert + Dinner at The Houstonian Hotel, beginning at 5pm.  What a romantic way to spend Valentine's Day.  Childcare is available.

We love to hear from you!

THANK YOU, Daryl Crown, for your letter about our October concert at Chapelwood United Methodist Church:

"I continue to be amazed at the variety and talent of the performers that come to Chapelwood through the Evans Art Series. To put my comments in context, I am not a follower of the musical arts, and, to be truthful, I rarely listen to music. I do, however, enjoy the opportunity to experience new things, and witness the enormous talent that God has given to people and how they handle it.

Where else would I have the opportunity to hear an artist of such caliber as the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra's Brian Lewis? When else would I experience the incredible composure Brian demonstrated in that rare moment when a string broke during his performance, and, withouth even losing his smile, he switched violins with another violinist, made tuning adjustments when he could, and completed the number with an "oops, sorry about that folks, thanks for hanging in there with me" expression on his face?

I came away from the evening with a real sense that I had participated in an experience that would not be repeated for me. That gave me a new appreciation for talents different from those I am familiar with, as well as how graciously some people handle them."