“Visions Take Flight” is a debut album by River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, lovingly known in Houston as ROCO. I have been a member of ROCO since 2014, and participated in the recording of this album. It’s very uniquely ROCO in that all five pieces on the album were commissioned by ROCO, and chosen to be on the album by the ROCO musicians. Alecia Lawyer, ROCO’s inspired founder/director and who also plays among us as our principle oboist, took a poll, asking us for our favorite pieces ROCO has ever played – the five pieces on this album are there as the result of the poll!
The album’s producer won the 2020 “Producer of the Year, Classical” Grammy award. Blanton Alspaugh was such very insightful, energetic producer – he made our process so much more invigorating. You can watch him speak about this album here, along with Scott St. John, our concert master.
The award feels extra special because of the initial, indefinite postponement of the recording. We were supposed to record it in the beautiful theater at Round Top’s Festival Hill Concert Hall in September of 2017, right when hurricane Harvey came.
Maiko Sasaki, my sister-like-best-friend and ROCO’s invaluable clarinetist, had come to stay with me at my fourth floor apartment, in case of flooding (her whole neighborhood was to be completely flooded a few days later). But we were both still hoping to somehow make the drive to Round Top to go record this album as schedule. Imagine our heartbreak, when the emails came to tell us that the recording had to be postponed.
Looking back, I realize how this album became even more meaningful, beautiful and musical, because it came through despite the hurricane, despite the postponement. And now, now we are all celebrating our producer’s Grammy!!! I am so proud to have been a part of this recording, and to be a part of ROCO. Music heals, and unites us. Bravo Blanton! Bravo ROCO! And BRAVO to us all, who are committed to remaining creative despite all of life’s challenges.
