Fingask

Fingask Castle is a country house in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is perched 200 feet above Rait, three miles north-east of Errol, in the Braes of the Carse, on the fringes of the Sidlaw Hills. Thus it overlooks both the Carse of Gowrie and the Firth of Tay and beyond into the Kingdom of Fife.

Fingask was once an explicitly holy place, a convenient and numinous stop-off between the abbeys at Falkirk and Scone. In the eighteenth century it was a nest of Jacobites. Today, though still riddled with shrines, it is best known for its garden and parties. Fingask is also home to the Fingask Follies, an annual musical event that takes place in late May and early June.

Gardens

The garden is renowned for its topiary, but also features The Pavilion, a picturesque venue for things such as colloquia and wedding parties. There are statues by David Anderson, sculptor, of Perth, of characters from Scots literature. Works depicted include Robert Burns’ or Alexander Thomson’s (1763-1803) Meg and Watty, Burns’ Willie Brew’d a Peck o’ Maut, And Rab and Allan cam’ tae Pree, Sir Walter Scott’s Last Minstrel/Ossian, and Burns’ Tam O’ Shanter and Kate. By other sculptors are also to be found the naked black figure of Doryphoros; a full length statue of William Pitt the Younger, and some small pieces by Charles Spence. Off the drive, in a sheltered glen, is the Well of St. Peter with the Linn-ma-Gray flowing beside it. On a stone above the well are the appropriate lines:

Drink, weary pilgrim, drink,
And bless St. Peter’s well,
Unscathed by sun or scorching ray,
Or frost or thawing swell

The RTO has performed there several times. Click on the dates below and have a look.

>>> 2008

>>> 2009

>>> 2010

Our Emerging Composers

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Edwin Sun Winner of the Emerging Composers Competition 2016 A Wee bit of Irish Scottish Jig
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 Feyi Adebiyi Sinfonia No 1
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 Jack McKenzie A Tale of Old
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 Caroline Penn The Witches
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 Ryan Yard River Travels Onwards

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EMERGING COMPOSER

Emerging Composer Announced!

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The £1,000 winner was Edwin Sung, with the Celtic A Wee Big Irish Scottish Jig. Choosing a runner-up from some fantastic compositions was impossible, so we had 4. See here for details.
We have 5 terrific pieces of music to rehearse and play in a special concert next Spring. Watch the website for details.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015

The Really Terrible Orchestra will be returning to play at the Fringe Festival on Saturday 15th August 2015. Tickets will be available from an orchestra member or edinburgh fringe box office shortly.

Programme will include newly commissioned music, Challenging pieces by Greig, Beethoven, and Rossini.

OUR GLASGOW DEBUT

Alexander McCall Smith in conversation during our debut concert at Glasgow's City Hall on 13 October 2012.

You can find more images about this unique event here
Photography: ©Alex Hewitt.

Five Star RTO

Five-star the RTO continues to lead the revolution for the musically disadvantaged with its unique musical interpretations. A triumph that proves bad is good. With its blend of humour, musicality and lack of technical prowess, the players surge through a lively programme taking the audience with them, creating a wave of excitement and hope that nothing will go wrong. The RTO never disappoints. 'These musicians who are dreadful are always a hot ticket. How can that be?' (ABC News) MORE

Fanfare for Glasgow

13 October 2012 at CIty Hall, Glasgow.

Click on the image to view the Glasgow Gallery.

Photographs: © Alex Hewitt.