Step into the Listening Room

River Oaks Chamber Orchestra puts music in your pocket: New mobile approach captures fans

There's no mistaking when Alecia Lawyer zooms around your part of town. Her mommy SUV is branded with license plates that announce the whereabouts of the fierce leader of the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra — known as ROCO, rhymes with loco, to the cool kids.

Lawyer, the sounds of her revolutionary ensemble to be exact, has gone digital and mobile.

ROCO recently launched an online platform where anyone can listen for free and purchase tracks of live recordings for 99 cents and full-evening concerts for $9.99. Using players from SoundCloud, a social media service where anyone can upload, record, promote and share audio files, ROCO's freshly pressed Listening Room seizes the excitement of the concert experience, captured by Houston Public Radio KUHF/KUHA and edited/produced by Andrew Bradley.

"The reason why people love coming to our concerts is the people playing in the orchestra. To our audience, it matters who we are as individuals — in and outside of music."

Included in the inaugural collection are Rossini's La Scala di Seta Overture, in which Lawyer double tongues the crap out of that perky oboe riff, Kodaly's colorful Dances of Galanta, conductor Mei-Ann Chen's take on Martinu's Toccata e Due Canzoni, principal cellist Richard Belcher's expensive rendition of Haydn's Cello Concerto in C major and the world premiere of Shepherd School of Music Anthony K. Brandt's Maternity: Women's Voices Through the Ages, a collaboration with Renaissance man David Eagleman.

There are many more selections in ROCO's new ROCOreplay cyber store, going as far back as November 2005, the group's opening season, when principal flutist Christina Jennings shined with Griffes' Poem for Solo Flute and Orchestra.

"ROCO is all about the musician-audience connection," Lawyer says. "The reason why people love coming to our concerts is the people playing in the orchestra.

"To our audience, it matters who we are as individuals — in and outside of music."

That's why Terri Golas, ROCO's general manager, created ROCOringtones, a collection of seven clips (49 cents each or $1.99 for the set) designed for fans on the go that also highlight former concertmaster Brian Lewis, percussionist Matt McClung and clarinetist Nathan Williams.

What's next? ROCO car horns? ROCO washing machine beeps? ROCO email sending whooshes? ROCO fire alarms?

Whatever is on tap, surely it will make for a more mellifluous world.

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the con is on

Stars from Halo and Rick & Morty port into Houston for Comicpalooza 2026

Photo by Michelle Bradbeer

Guests gather for a panel at Comicpalooza

Houston's largest comic and fan convention, Comicpalooza, has started announcing its celebrity guest line-up for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend event, including cast members from the Halo game franchise and animated sci-fi show Rick & Morty

In honor of the video game franchise's 25th Anniversary, Comicpalooza is welcoming Halo voice actors Steve Downes (Master Chief), Tim Dadabo (343 Guilty Spark), Jeff Steitzer (Voice of God multiplayer announcer), and Jen Taylor (Cortana). They will be joined by series composer Marty O’Donnell. Fans can expect several panels involving the cast as they discuss the game's long history as an iconic first-person shooter.

The more comedic side of science fiction is also warmly represented. Cast members from cult hit show Rick & Morty were announced earlier in February. Harry Belden (Morty), Ian Cardoni (Rick), and Spencer Grammer (Summer) will be signing autographs and meeting fans of the Adult Swim breakout time-and-space travel series. Attendees should refrain from constantly screaming "Pickle Rick" throughout the weekend (please).

Other guests include renowned comic writer Gail Simone (currently helming the incredible run of Uncanny X-Men), legendary genre film star Pam Grier (Foxy Brown, Jackie Brown), Dungeon Crawler Carl author Matt Dinniman, and the original Incredible Hulk actor, Lou Ferrigno. More guests are expected to be announced in the coming months, and Comicpalooza usually saves at least one big reveal until April.

Comicpalooza started from humble beginnings. In 2008, it was a small fan gathering celebrating the release of The Dark Knight in the lobby of the now-closed Alamo Drafthouse. Since then, it has grown into Houston's third-largest annual event after the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and Houston Pride. Now operated by Houston First, the local government corporate that markets Houston as a travel and business destination, it's become a premiere tourist draw for the city. Roughly 50,000 people attend the convention every year.

The three-day fan event takes up most of the massive George R. Brown Convention Center with artists, vendors, panels, concerts, wrestling, craft activities, cosplay contests, gaming, and more. A full weekend pass for an adult costs $105, plus add-ons such as photo opportunities or autographs with the celebrity guests.Weekend passes for children under 12 are $10. Single day passes are also available. Tickets and more information can be found on the official Comicpalooza website.