The Really Terrible Orchestra

The Really Terrible Orchestra (RTO) is a British amateur orchestra, founded in 1995 by the Edinburgh-based businessman Peter Stevenson and the author Alexander McCall Smith. The inspiration for Stevenson and Smith was the enjoyment that their children were having with their school orchestras. They decided to look for a local amateur orchestra with which they could enjoy playing music for the fun of it. [cite news | author=Michael White | title=Lousy Is the Best They Can Ever Be | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/arts/music/26mich.html | work=New York Times | date=26 August 2007 | accessdate=2007-11-03] They could not find such an orchestra, and formed the RTO as a result, with Richard Neville Towle as its conductor. The orchestra website describes its mission as follows:

"The Really Terrible Orchestra exists to encourage those who have been prevented from playing music, either through lack of talent or some other factor, to play music in the company of similarly afflicted players.The policy of the orchestra is to make no distinction between the various grades of ability and the various forms of music, or time signature. The RTO looks forward to a further lowering of standards, in order to underline its commitment to accessibility and relevance."

Smith has expressed the low quality of the orchestra's playing very directly [cite news | author=Alexander McCall Smith | title=Terrible Orchestra? | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/11/01/bmmcall101.xml | work=Telegraph | date=1 November 2007 | accessdate=2007-11-04] :

"The name was carefully chosen: what it said was what you would get."

Aside from their yearly concerts at the Edinburgh Fringe, the orchestra also features in the novel "The Sunday Philosophy Club" by Alexander McCall Smith. In the foyer of the Canongate Kirk, an Edinburgh church and their regular venue, the orchestra sells CDs of their performances.

In 2005 a documentary film about the RTO, "The Really Terrible Orchestra", directed by Edward Brooke-Hitching, was selected for the 60th International Edinburgh Film Festival in 2006. It won the Baillie Gifford Award for best short Scottish documentary.

The RTO made their London debut on 3 November 2007 at the Cadogan Hall, London, in a sold-out concert. [cite news | author=Matthew Westphal | title=Really Terrible Orchestra Sells Out London Debut Concert | url=http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/7309.html | work=Playbill Arts | date=2 November 2007 | accessdate=2007-11-03] [cite news | author=Patricia Cleveland-Peck | title=Musical no-hopers strike chord | url=http://arts.independent.co.uk/music/news/article3127416.ece | work=The Independent | date=4 November 2007 | accessdate=2007-11-17]

References

External links

* [http://thereallyterribleorchestra.com/ The Official RTO Website]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0775094/ The Really Terrible Orchestra - A short film by Edward Brooke-Hitching]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/opinion/09mccallsmith.html?ex=1205726400&en=81b6112f85758cf5&ei=5070&emc=eta1 "And the Band Played Badly" - "New York Times" op-ed]