Who Are We
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.
We acknowledge as our 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. The RTOOT looks forward to a further lowering of standards, in order to underline its commitment to accessibility and relevance.
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 too competent. Currently we are looking for a couple of bassoons and another trombone. Violins, of course, are always welcome. Please contact us asap if you would like to fill one of these empty seats in order to participate in our inaugural concert in December. Our next general auditions will be scheduled after our concert; i.e. in mid-December and early January. True to our mission to be the Really Terrible Orchestra Of the entire Triangle, auditions are held separately in Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill. Full details are found on the “RTOOT Players Retreat” page.
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 concertmistress of the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra is our second bassoonist. The Zachary Taylor Smith Term Professor of Music at UNC Chapel Hill is third flautist and piccolautist. His son is in the cello section.
Rehearsals are held weekly at 3:00 on Sunday afternoon in the Research Triangle Park at Hatcher Grove Missionary Baptist Church. We are determined to hold rehearsals in RTP rather than in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, or Durham, considering this Really Terrible Orchestra to be a Triangle-wide cultural gem.
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).
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.
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 actually has 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.
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.
Nonprofit Status
The
Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle (RTOOT) is chartered as a
Nonprofit Corporation in the State of North Carolina. Its
application to the Internal Revenue Service to be a genuine
501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization is pending.
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):
• Associate Professor of Composition Allen Anderson 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 is also principal trumpet in The Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle (RTOOT), and 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