ROCO pairs silent horror classics with live music at River Oaks Theatre
ROCO will present a pre-Halloween program at The River Oaks Theatre on October 23, 2026, pairing silent films with live chamber music. The concert includes a new score by Andrew Earle Simpson for the 1925 Phantom of the Opera and a fresh arrangement of Carl Stalling’s music for Disney’s The Skeleton Dance. Tickets are $45 for the 8pm performance.
ROCO’s Connections program, “From Silence to Sound,” is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, at The River Oaks Theatre, 2009 W Gray St. Admission is $45. Guest conductor and composer Andrew Earle Simpson leads a chamber ensemble in scores performed alongside early films.
The lineup includes Simpson’s newly written music for the 1925 Phantom of the Opera, with Lon Chaney, plus a revised arrangement of Carl Stalling’s score for Disney’s 1929 The Skeleton Dance. Bohuslav Martinů’s La revue de cuisine is listed as an entr’acte.
This event could broaden access to silent cinema and live chamber music for Houston audiences, especially film buffs, families seeking seasonal entertainment, and concertgoers curious about early film scores. Pairing familiar horror imagery with an ensemble may make orchestral performance feel more approachable, while the historic theater setting may strengthen local cultural attachment. Its impact is likely modest and localized, but it may encourage similar hybrid programming that connects film history, music education, and Halloween leisure.