Audience Texts at Conductorless!

We love hearing from you during our concerts.  At the Take 5 break during our Feb 13th concert, you texted these messages to us:

“I love the balance of the group. My heart follows every note.”
“Amazing job! Happy Chinese New Year!!”

“LOVED Simone. Bravo! And conductorless format is very interesting, it’s much more intimate.”

“Wow to those magic fingers of Simone!!!! That was outstanding.”

“Fantastic. Good pairing of the Jacobs and Shuo – both interesting and refreshing.”

“Dinnerstein’s performance was spectacular”

“Great concert (once again!). The pieces are well chosen and well executed and Simone’s piano interpretation was superb!”

“Shuo was awesome! Dinnerstein dynamic! ROCO is a wonderful night out, thank you.”

“Awesome—I don’t hear Bach played that often and Simone was marvelous.”

“You have no idea how hard it is to just listen to Beethoven’s 5th without “conducting” myself. Simply marvelous.”

Thanks!
ROCO

Rest in peace, Beth Newdome

We are mourning the loss of violinist, Beth Newdome, who lost her battle with cancer on February 13, 2010.  Beth played with ROCO during Season 4. 

We are repeating her obituary announcement from the Feb 16, Mansfield News Journal. 

MANSFIELD ~ A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint pictures on silence. ~ Leopold Stokowski

Beth Newdome was an artist. She learned the integral difference of playing music and playing an instrument. In her hands, her violin gave voice to joy and sorrow, tears and laughter, interpreting emotion in a way words fail. Her upbeat personality made her a friend to many, and coupled with her talent on the violin, a much sought-after violin soloist.

A world-class violinist, Beth fought with cancer for over five years, and passed away Saturday, February 13, 2010.

Born February 6, 1964 in Mansfield, Beth was the daughter of William Peter Newdome, Sr. and Elva (Welday) Newdome. At the age of three, Beth started music lessons, studying under her mother Elva. She subsequently took lessons from Howard Beebe, Marya Giesy, and Michael Davis. While a student at Malabar High School, she played all four years with the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra.

While a grade school student, she was named “Outstanding Actress” at Hal McCuen’s Summer Theater.

Beth was the first student at the time to earn 12 years of consecutive Superior ratings in OFMC Junior Festivals, earning the 75 point cup, all the while winning auditions to solo with a number of orchestras including the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, Kent State, Toledo and Columbus.

Named “Outstanding Girl” as a senior at Malabar High School, she was graduated in 1982. She excelled at swimming, winning numerous awards for her participation on Possum Run and Westbrook swim teams, specializing in relays and breaststroke.

“Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” (Berthold Auerbach) a high calling for any life, and Beth had the talent and determination to pursue her music professionally.

Beth was active with summer music camps throughout Ohio and in the Tangelwood Music Festival in Tanglewood, Mass.

She studied music at Eastman School of Music, in Rochester, New York, where she earned her Bachelor of Music Performance in 1986, studying under Charles Castleman. While at Eastman, she was a member of the Rochester Philharmonic.

She played under the tutelage of Max Rostal in Bern, Switzerland, Spoleto Opera Festival in Charleston, S.C., the Heidelberg (Germany) Music Festival, and Kent-Blossom Music Festival.

Just this past September, Beth traveled to Poland to participate with the World Orchestra for Peace.

She was a member of the Jacksonville (Fla) Symphony Orchestra, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Dallas (Tx) Symphony Orchestra, and Atlanta (GA) Symphony Orchestra.

Beth was the principal violinist of the Georgian Chamber Players, and was the violinist of the Inman Trio with David Bjella and Brent Runnels. She lent her talents to the Iris Chamber Orchestra.

Beth took a one-year sabbatical from the Atlanta Symphony to teach violin at Stetson University in Deland, FL, and then returned to the Atlanta Symphony as Associate Concert Master. In August of 2002 she accepted a teaching position with Florida State University in Tallahassee as an Associate Professor of Violin. Each June she appeared with the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, and every August served on the violin artist faculty of the Aspen Music Festival. She was a frequent performer at Carnegie Hall.

She was a member of United Church in Tallahassee. Beth had been well rounded in her activities as an artist and in the sports of snow skiing, golfing, and tennis.

She is survived by her mother Elva Newdome of Mansfield; her sister Lynn Rose Newdome of Northampton, Mass.; her brother and sister-in-law William Peter Newdome, Jr. and Amy Newdome of Mansfield; an “adopted” sister and her husband Kristine & Alan Christiansen of Des Plains, Ill.; a niece Angela Ferrante; twin niece and nephew Ava Newdome and David Newdome; numerous aunts and cousins; and cherished friend Kenn Wagner. 

Her father preceded her in death, as have numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

The Newdome family will receive friends Saturday, February 20, 2010 from 10 a.m. to noon in the parlor of First Presbyterian Church, 399 South Trimble Road, Mansfield, where her memorial service will follow at 12 noon. The Rev. Dennis R. Allison will officiate. The Marion Avenue Snyder Funeral Home is privileged to serve the Newdome family.

Rather than flowers, the Newdomes suggest memorial contributions to Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, or Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra, or Mansfield Symphony Youth Strings, or First Presbyterian Church, and may be made at the church, through the funeral home.

Condolences to the Newdome family may be made online at: www.snyderfuneralhomes.com

There is nothing in the world so much like prayer as music is. –William P. Merrill. Play on Beth, play on.

What are you gonna do when the sun goes down? Get right back on that merry-go-round!

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."

Unifying Cultures through Music

The great 19th century poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, said “Music is the universal language of all mankind.” Never has this been more apparent than in the musical programming and creative collaborations found in River Oaks Chamber Orchestra’s fifth season.

ROCO invites the audience into a musical conversation that transcends cultures and generations. This season, every concert includes music by an acclaimed composer whose work showcases the culture of his or her country of origin.

• In February, 2010, ROCO will complement its traditional classical music programming – which includes Beethoven’s dynamic Fifth Symphony and acclaimed piano soloist, Simone Dinnerstein with a piece by Chinese composer, Chen Yi in celebration of the Chinese New Year.
  
• Also in February, ROCO is partnering with the Houston Chopin Society to present a concert at Rice University’s Stude Hall, featuring conductor Tomasz Golka, and piano soloist, Adam Golka. This collaboration will showcase the beautiful music of Chopin and highlight Houston’s large and vibrant Polish community.
  
• In April, ROCO is teaming with The Children’s Museum to present a bilingual performance of the children’s classic, Peter and the Wolf. A small ensemble of ROCO musicians will play Prokofiev’s composition while well-known voice actor, John Swasey, narrates the story,first in English, and a second time in Spanish. This performance will be part of the bicentennial celebration of Mexico’s independence, along with the Musical Ofrenda that ROCO does in partnership with Lawndale Art Center in October as part of the annual Dia de los Muertos celebration. 

ROCO invites you join us in celebrating the richness of Houston’s many cultures. Music truly is the universal language, and the conversation has only just begun!

User-Friendly Classical Music

Read Nancy Wozny's entertaining article about being a classical music newbie:
http://www.culturemap.com/newsdetail/11-11-09-confessions-of-a-classical-music-newbie/

Oh, and she has wonderful things to say about ROCO!

Kana Kimura in solo concert, Nov 22

ROCO violinist, Kana Kimura, will present a solo concert on Sunday afternoon, November 22, at 2:15pm, at The Recital Room at Dowling Music, 2615 Southwest Freeway at Kirby Drive.

A native of Tokyo, Japan, Kana Kimura, moved with her family to Edmonton, Alberta and began her musical studies at the age of four. She completed her undergraduate work at The Oberlin Conservatory of Music under Roland and Almita Vamos and continued her violin studies at the University of Houston under the guidance of Fredell Lack. She has participated in such prestigious music festivals as the Pacific Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, and the Spoleto Festival. In addition to playing with River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, Kana maintains a private studio of over twenty young students.

This recital is just one in a series this season. Dowling Music and River Oaks Chamber Orchestra have teamed up to feature ROCO musicians in monthly solo concerts at the beautiful new 100-seat Recital Room inside Dowling Music, at 2615 Southwest Freeway at Kirby Drive (2nd floor). All performances are on Sunday afternoons, at 2:15. Admission is free, and families are welcome.
 
View the full schedule here:
http://rocohouston.org/recital.html
 
Read more about Kana here:
http://rocohouston.org/mus_kkimura.html