Meet the Starlight Orchestra
Shirefest 2014 Veterans

What's the story behind your band's founding?

Our Orchestra was founded my Forte Maestro on New Years Day 2014. He wanted to be able to play some classical music which required a large number of musicians. Forte is MIA, last we heard he wandered south and may have been eaten by a huge creature!

How did your band get its name?

Forte chose the name for the Orchestra, he wanted to create a calm mystical feel. Classical music in the starlight encompasses the feel of what we are trying to achieve. I was all for calling us "The Landroval Orchestra" but I feel our name is more suited to visiting other servers.

How did your members meet one another?

We have met through kinships, friendships and musical events. A good TSO performance will generate some new applications.

How would you describe your band's music?

We play high quality classical music. Sometimes we bring out the Big Band to play Jazz and Swing.

How do you decide which songs to play?

I have a selection process that I use to choose which pieces to play. With both the Full and Half TSO my ears have the deciding vote. I like to choose transcriptions and arrangements from different people. Quality is the deciding factor. The Full TSO's pieces sample rate needs to be considered, too many notes in the arrangement will result in LOTRO cutting notes in the game. Sadly some wonderful pieces cannot be played due to the restrictions of the game itself.

Do you have a signature song?

No but we do have a wonderful warm up piece by Brandlaf!

What's the highlight of your band's time together?

Our highlight is after we successfully sync a 24 part piece, everyone listens to the music at a rehearsal and then offers an opinion. After this we generally chit chat in /raid while enjoying the music. We talk about music and food mostly.

Do you have any embarrassing stories about a time when things didn't go so well?

Not embarrassing as such but with so many people it is impossible to avoid the odd mishap. The hardest part of TSO is gathering everyone in the same spot at the same time.

Does your band play a regular concert? If so, when and where?

We play a seasonal concert. Spring, Summer and Yule. At a point in the future I (Lilikate) will be looking for a weekly slot to schedule my musical activities.

Does your band have a website, Twitter feed or links to any performances?

We can be found at starlightorchestra.guildlaunch.com

What's the one thing we should know about your band above all else?

We have achieved something that is unique to this game. Our large classical pieces take a lot of work to arrange and transcribe. To hear these played in LOTRO is amazing. We are also a hub of musical talent. We have members from different kins, different bands, different servers and many different musical styles and approaches. We have members from both US and UK servers as well as our French and German Servers. We are a community project, and very much a community success.

Is there anything else you'd like to mention?

The TSO has three brances at the moment: We have a TSO Big Band-Half TSO and the Full Orchestra. Be sure to come and listen to a performance soon! What better time to come and listen than Crickhollow's Shirefest Event!