The Really Terrible Orchestra of the Triangle (RTOOT)

Announces Their 2013 Spring Concert

 

 Triangle Area, NC – The Really Terrible Orchestra of the Triangle (RTOOT) announces their 2013 Spring Concert, “In the Halls of Academia”.  To celebrate its first performance in the Cary Arts Center, formerly the Cary Elementary School, the RTOOT will wander into the halls of academia with Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture, a visit to Hogwarts, Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance and a Beatles medley.   Wait, the Beatles in academia?  Oh, well.  With a combination of great enthusiasm and some confusion, it appears that, once again, the RTOOT will offer its audience a delightful combination of orchestral music and unexpected humor. 

The performance will be held on Monday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the: 

 

Cary Arts Center

101 Dry Ave

Cary, NC  27511

(919) 469-4069

 

Tickets are $7.00 and may be purchased from orchestra members, at The Cary Arts Center Box Office or online through the Town of Cary’s Etix service. 

About the Really Terrible Orchestra of the Triangle (RTOOT):  Known for its unique combination of classical music and unexpected humor, the Really Terrible Orchestra of the Triangle (RTOOT) performs its first concert at The Cary Arts Center.  The original Really Terrible Orchestra (RTO) was founded in Edinburgh, Scotland by author Alexander McCall Smith. 

In the Triangle area, the RTOOT started in May 2008 and is currently composed of approximately sixty musicians all of whom practice diligently and make every effort to play wonderful music with as much skill and accomplishment as possible.   However, it is an RTOOT concert.  And one can only imagine what might happen when the RTOOT attempts to celebrate joys of academia. 

 For more information, please visit www.rtoot.org

 

 

RTOOT Announces
Spring 2013 Auditions

The Really Terrible Orchestra of the Triangle, a real symphonic orchestra of more than 50 members of varying ages and levels of talent, is holding auditions for their spring season. If you play (or have ever played) an orchestral instrument, and you think you might have what it takes to be Really Terrible, this is for you!

This season, we especially need more:
Flutes
Clarinets
Oboes
Bassoons
Trumpets
Trombones
French horns
Violas
And of course we can never have enough violins, cellos and basses!

Auditions are Sunday, January 13, from 2pm to 5pm, at the Cary Arts Center. You will be asked to play 2 scales in the keys of your choice, sight-read a short piece, and perform 2 or 3 minutes of a piece (or pieces) that demonstrate your level of playing. Don't be intimidated; if you still remember how to read music and can find your old instrument (it's in the back left-hand corner of your attic behind the box of school papers), you're halfway there!

Schedule your audition time by sending an email to rtootinfo@gmail.com and be sure to take a look around our website.

Who Are We

Welcome and thank you for visiting the website of The Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle (RTOOT)! We invite you to explore our site, listen to our music, leaf through our program materials, and watch our rather odd movie, “The Birth of an Orchestra”. While you’re here, please sign our RTOOT Guestbook!

Who are we? The Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle exists to encourage those who have been prevented from playing music together with others, either through lack of talent or some other factor, to rehearse and perform in an ensemble of similarly afflicted players. From a humble beginning in May 2008, we have grown into a 50-piece symphony orchestra worthy of its role as one of the premiere cultural gems of the Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill NC (USA) region known as the Research Triangle. Except that we’re pretty terrible. Terrible, in the French sense of
Des Enfants Terribles ... in that while we haven’t made fun of Bach or Mozart yet, we certainly have had a naughty excursion or two with Strauss and Tchaikovsky.

We acknowledge as our musical heritage the world-famous Really Terrible Orchestra (RTO) of Edinburgh, Scotland , which was founded by the eminent Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith. Similar to the RTO, the primary goal of The Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle (RTOOT) is to involve competent musicians in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area who are not quite competent enough to play with the Durham Symphony, the Raleigh Symphony, or the Chapel Hill Philharmonia. Our passionate mission is to reach out to the entire music community, irrespective of individual expertise, in order to underline our commitment to accessibility and relevance. Accessibility, because we provide a unique opportunity for musicians of any age, gender, persuasion, political affiliation, race, who want to play with a group, regardless of their level of competence. Relevance, since our bizarre performances tend to attract the entire community (including particularly those on the fringe) who enjoy a good show and may never otherwise be lured inside a symphonic concert hall.

All ages, races, genders, and persuasions of instrumentalists are invited to join our ranks. In particular, if Mom played the viola in college and Dad played the clarinet, and Junior is playing the oboe in the middle school orchestra, make it a family occasion and enjoy playing together in an ensemble!! Just send us an email (see ‘Contact Us’ at the bottom of the page) to sign up and request an audition.

Yes. There are auditions. We don’t want players who are toocompetent. Full details are found on the “Auditions” page under “RTOOT Players Retreat”

Professional musicians may be accepted into membership if they pick up something they’ve never played before and if they play it badly enough. For example, the Zachary Taylor Smith Term Professor of Music at UNC Chapel Hill is third flautist and piccolautist. His son is in the cello section. A local saxophonist, heard quite often in broadway touring pit orchestras, plays the oboe for The Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle (RTOOT).

Rehearsals are held weekly on Sunday afternoon in Cary at the Herb Young Community Center just off Academy Street or at the Bond Park Community Center just off Highhouse Road.
Generally the RTOOT performs thrice a year, in Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill, but is available at cost -- great cost -- for birthdays and corporate events. Persons or organizations wishing to employ The Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle (RTOOT) or a subset thereof, such as a string quartet or a chamber music ensemble, should contact our commercial subsidiary, the RTP (Really Terrible Philharmonic).

conductor colour

My Strow W. Sands Hobgood


Founder and Conductor of the Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle is W. Sands Hobgood, keyboardist and conductor in the triangle area since 1952. He has a legitimate job as a church musician but believes that the associated institutions would wish to remain anonymous. Mr. Hobgood, in addition to his conducting activities, rearranges the hard parts for instruments that are incapable of performing them as written.

Mr. Hobgood has also appeared in films produced by the local collective 301 films (see
www.301films.com) and appeared in a major role in “Fast Freddie Fantastic”.

Furthermore, Mr. Hobgood also serves as the Really Terrible Webmaster. He is now ably assisted by the Assistant Really Terrible Webmastress, Ms. Rennie Martin, without whom you would not be reading this.

Sandy and Rennie
Really Terrible Webmaster W. Sands Hobgood consults with Assistant Really Terrible Webmastress Rennie Martin over aspects of synchronization of the HTML tags using an RSS feed over multiple CGI linkages through the ASP interfaces at HostMonster, our server. Photo by Chris Jones, 501 Diner.



The Assistant Conductor of The Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle (RTOOT) is Michael Lyle, who comes way over-qualified with a MM in Conducting. We believe The Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle (RTOOT) to be the only civic orchestra in the Triangle with an Assistant Conductor.

DSC00002


My Strow W. Sands Hobgood discusses the program for the inaugural concert with the Assistant Conductor of The Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle (RTOOT) Michael Lyle.
Photo by Chris Jones, 501 Diner.



RTOOT Now Found in Wikipedia
The Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle (RTOOT) is pleased to note that we are now found in Wikipedia along with the original RTO from Edinburgh Scotland.

Nonprofit Status

The Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle (RTOOT) is chartered as a Nonprofit Corporation in the State of North Carolina. It is classified as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt institution by the Internal Revenue Service.

Board of Directors



The Board Of Directors Of The Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle (RTOOT), otherwise known as the BODORTOOT, includes the following members (in alphabetical order):

• Professor Allen Anderson and Head of the Composition Area of the Music Department of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Professor Anderson is Vice President of the Board

• W. Sands Hobgood, conductor, music director, and founder of The Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle (RTOOT), and President and Chairman of the Board

• Patti Jean Spinillo, who comes to us from the farming community of Eli Whitney, NC, and who was the Principal Associate and Chief Roadie on Mr. Hobgood's "Bless Your Heart Eastern European Organ Concert Tour of 2001". Patti Jean serves as secretary to the Board


• Florence Peacock, who describes herself as Diva Soprano of Chapel Hill, NC, and treasurer of the Board

• Douglass Little
,who lives in Raleigh and conducts a middle school orchestra in Chapel Hill. She also plays with The Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle (RTOOT) and is principal cellist





--Number of Visitors Since our Founding in May 2008