The Tennessee Fiddle Orchestra is essentially a chamber orchestra that performs traditional folk music.
The TFO will explore the rich traditions of fiddle tunes and folk songs which embody the experience of the rural Southeastern United States.

Our fiddle orchestra will rehearse weekly toward the objective of a concert at the end of the semester. Repertoire will include classics from the American and Celtic fiddle tune traditions, such as old time, contest style, bluegrass, folk, and western swing, as well as hymns and seasonal music.

The ensemble will consist of fiddles, violas, cellos, string basses, mandolins, flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, saxiphones, trumpets, trombones, french horns, and tubas. Anyone of any experience level is encouraged to participate! If you have the desire to be a part of the Tennessee Fiddle Orchestra, there will be a place for you.

Jim Wood, the five-time Tennessee State Fiddle Champion, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, will provide custom arrangements in order to optimize everyone's participation. Lisa Quick will conduct rehearsals and the final concert.

The TFO will meet weekly on Monday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Forrester Student Center Cafeteria. Forrester Student Center Cafeteria is located on the Motlow State Community College campus between Lynchburg, and Tullahoma, Tennessee on Highway 55. Rehearsals for the 4^th semester will begin on January 12, and the concert will be on May 11, 2009.

The first three semesters were tremendous successes, with very large audiences in attendance. If you play one of the instruments listed above, please consider joining us (and if you do not play, please help us to spread the word). The TFO is truly for musicians of all levels and backgrounds, and the thing that was the most pleasing about the first three semesters was the way in which experienced players blended together with relative beginners where everyone seemed challenged at his or her level. Jim writes arrangements to include every level from advanced to very simple; so, on any given piece, you will find a part that is both accessible but stimulating. We will cover this semester a wide range of fun and interesting material, including Irish, Scottish, old-time, and contest-style fiddle tunes, bluegrass, Western Swing, and several folk songs.

We have several members who were already proficient on other instruments who saw the TFO as an opportunity to branch out and learn something new; so, if you have ever said to yourself that you wanted to play, now is a great chance to get going. Playing with an orchestra and hearing all the wonderful sound of the instruments blending together is one of the great musical experiences of life; it is truly magical. Also, Inge and Jim have never seen anything in all their years of teaching private students that has been more effective in helping students to improve.