Music

ROCO is everywhere. In its 18th season, this industry-changing chamber orchestra from Houston has reached well beyond the walls of the traditional concert space, laying down a vibrant and diverse soundtrack for an entire city.

As he planned out the Houston Chamber Choir’s season, artistic director Robert Simpson figured on two must-haves: a return visit by guest conductor María Guinand, the Venezuelan he calls “a joy generator”; and a performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil, the soulful a cappella work the choir was rehearsing when the covid-19 shutdown silenced it in March 2020.

When the pandemic forced Ars Lyrica to cancel plans last season for its second opera staging, the group didn’t take it lying down.