Not every musician is going to sell out arenas or hit every note perfectly, and that’s completely fine because making music is really about having fun and expressing yourself, not being flawless. An orchestra in San Diego has taken this idea and run with it, bringing together a group of “bad” musicians to create their own wonderfully imperfect musical performances. Dubbed The Coronado Terrible Orchestra, the group of rusty and inexperienced musicians is led by Cassie O’Hanlon, who drew inspiration from a similar concept in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she lived before moving to San Diego. Footage of the orchestra playing is circulating online right now.
The beginning of the video centers on Cassie O’Hanlon as she conducts her Coronado Terrible Orchestra. The song they’re playing is the Theme from Dvorak’s New World Symphony, and it takes a couple of tries before they nail the opening proper. Sporting a black top and olive trousers, the conductor states, “One, two, ready, play,” though the first note is a little off. Amazingly, however, O’Hanlon coolly laughs it off, and says with genuine encouragement, “It’s all good. We got this.” before having a second try, which is a bit more harmonious.
The clip then cuts to a brief interview with Brianna, who is a violinist in the orchestra. “I mentioned it at work and everyone kind of dropped what they were doing and they were like, I want to hear a terrible orchestra. I was, like, oh good, I work with nerds. This is great.” she says with a lighthearted chuckle.
Next, the composer weighs in on why working with a “terrible” orchestra is so gratifying and rewarding, saying, “So I was inspired by the same concept ultimately in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where I moved here from. There was a terrible orchestra. So when I moved out here, I kind of started noticing, at least south, there’s just not as big of a music community. So I just thought, why not try?“
A second musician, flutist Jacqueline Hardt, also shares why she’s excited to be involved, saying, “Asi said, I’m going to start a terrible orchestra and you haven’t played for 30 years. Why don’t you come? And I’m like, okay.” she declares with a smile on her face.
In an interview with KBPS, O’Hanlon explained her motivation for starting a terrible orchestra, saying, “I can only hope that they will just be incredibly kind to themselves while playing their instrument and just continue to play. Even if they don’t continue to play here as a group, just find the joy a little bit and continue to have music as part of their lives.”
As the video gained traction online, social media reactions poured in, with many people impressed by the “bad” musicians’ charmingly raw and joyful melodies. On Facebook, one enthusiastic reader penned, “such a great idea! they may not be very ‘good’ or experienced in the general sense but I love that they’re doing it for fun and to learn! I can definitely hear good things happening too!” A second commenter added, “This is rad. Glad to see people having fun and enjoying the arts together in a safe space that rocks!” Meanwhile, over on Reddit, a netizen chimed in with, “This is very cool, but perhaps with one possible problem. What if they practice enough and get good, then they won’t be a terrible orchestra anymore.” That comment is truly a bit of a conundrum, right?
Ultimately, groups like The Coronado Terrible Orchestra may not play perfectly, but they bring people together, spark creativity, and remind the community that music — and connection — is about joy, not perfection. And in its own quirky way, that feels perfectly fitting.
