Brian Raphael Nabors: Upon Daybreak (ROCO)

ROCO’s Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation In Concert series continued with a celebration of “Friends”, on February 18 at the Lucian and Nancy Morrison Theatre at Brockman Hall for Opera – Rice University! This concert truly showcased the orchestra, as the ensemble performed conductorless, with Artistic Partner and Concertmaster Scott St. John leading from the chair. Underlining themes of friendship and hope, the concert featured the premiere of Brian Raphael Nabors‘ Upon Daybreak, a ROCO co-commission as part of New Music USA’s Amplifying Voices initiative, inspired by Maya Angelou’s poem “A Brave and Startling Truth,” along with Antonin Dvorak’s early favorite Serenade for Strings, Joachim Raff’s vivacious Sinfonietta, and the overture to the opera Jery und Bätely by Ingeborg von Bronsart. Completing the program, the resilient African-American spiritual Keep Me From Sinking Down spotlighted Scott St. John, in Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s powerful orchestral setting featuring solo violin. Recorded February 18, 2023, at the Lucian and Nancy Morrison Theatre at Brockman Hall for Opera – Rice University Audio engineering by Andrew Bradley Videography by BEND Productions