The Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle (RTOOT)

who are we? -- brass section

Cindy Fowler is playing first trumpet. Cindy says she doesn’t have a very zany life, but she claims, “despite that I am a 4th degree black belt (yep, I am deadly enough to kill cockroaches with a single shoe).” She enjoys playing the trumpet whether anyone else enjoys hearing it or not, and that’s what it takes to be a member of The Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle (RTOOT). Neil Barry, Raleigh psychologist, has also joined the trumpets. Neil specializes in trauma therapy and will be available for post-concert sessions, gratis, for anyone who is traumatized by our playing. Rounding out the trumpet section is Sarah Schwarzer, who started playing terribly in elementary school and has not been improving ever since. She works in water quality, and while the sound of a babbling brook is music to her ears, her own playing is not. She was a member of the Kiltie marching band in Sarasota, Florida many years ago, and fondly remembers having 30+ other trumpets to drown her out. Her high shool band instructor would be happy to know she's finally quit smoking those nasty cigarettes.

And at last the horns are coming out of the woodwork!!! We now have on board
Mary Sherk, Trish Kirkpatrick, and Trillian Roper. Upon reaching adolescence, Trillian decided she needed to come up with a more imaginative way to annoy her parents and five younger siblings (as spit balls at the dinner table had quickly lost their appeal)- the first idea was to strangle a goose in the living room every night- which upon reflection proved to be rather messy- so she decided to take up the French horn instead. 

Our trombone section is headed up by
Brian Walker. He saw an ad in the Independent asking for terrible trombones and was delighted to discover that his dogs are now too old to chase him. However, daughters (3 and 1) are picking up their slack. He had a great deal of difficulty blowing years and years of accumulated dust off his instrument. Brenda Peterson has to practice her bass trombone while her dog Camy is out of the house as the sound is so foreign to her ears that she barks and barks! She has been playing bass trombone on and off since 1974 and remembers vividly a poor piccolo player in her high school wind ensemble being thrown into a trash can!!! Other fond memories - playing trombone in a parade in Weistrach, Austria, playing with the Hillyer Community Chorus and Orchestra and in the pit orchestra of many high school musicals. Also, recently playing an Athenian (while there was NO trombone part) in the Ruins of Athens piece and knocking down columns and tormenting My Stroh. Matthew Young has joined RTOOT as a second trombone. He points out, "I play many instruments, but trombone was the only one I felt I was sufficiently terrible at. Unless, of course, My Stroh Hobgood wanted me to play accordion."
Trish Weaver joins the Tuba section as a result of her audition in Durham.