Arian Di Biase thought their three years playing bassoon with Cleveland’s Contemporary Youth Orchestra (CYO) would come to an end when they graduated high school earlier this year. 

Instead, the orchestra asked Di Biase to stay for one last concert: a collaborative show with Cleveland-based pop musician Chayla Hope. It was a no-brainer for Di Biase.

“I got to meet Chayla when we had this concert idea introduced to us, and I just knew from that point that I really, really wanted to work with her and this kind of music,” they said. 

Hope has worked with Di Biase and dozens more students from across Northeast Ohio every Saturday morning for months to prepare. Their show, dubbed Chayla Hope & CYO’s Lo-Fi Mixtape, will premiere at the Agora on Nov. 9. 

Kitty Still (right), the mother of a member of the orchestra, introduces Chayla Hope (left) to someone over FaceTime. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland
Chayla Hope (center, left) poses for a picture with orchestra musicians Arian Di Biase (left), Emie Sachs (center, right) and Skyler Granoff (right). Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland

After years of playing with local alternative bands and performing in drag shows, Hope kicked off her solo career with the pop album “Damn, Feelings” in 2022. The show with CYO will feature songs off that album along with unreleased music from her upcoming project “Mess of a Woman” that drops next year. 

CYO started in 1995, and it now has about 100 musicians. Students between the ages of 13 and 18 can audition to be a part of the orchestra. 

Violinists Grace Watters (left), Alex Jin (center) and Abigail Choi (right) practice Chayla Hope’s song “Dancing While I Cry.” Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland

Kris Morron, the orchestra’s conductor and music director, came up with the idea for the show. He wanted to work with Hope because she imbues her music with a deep storytelling element, he said.  

“I view my job as the arranger as getting to know the artist and saying, ‘What is your story? What are you trying to tell the audience?’” he said. “And then I use the colors of the orchestra to say, ‘Let’s tell that story.’” 

‘You feel like you belong immediately’

For Hope, working with CYO has been “life-changing.” As she’s gotten to know the orchestra’s young musicians, they’ve become an inspiration to her, she said. She wants to keep volunteering at CYO after the show. 

 “This is just, like, the best place,” Hope said. “You feel like you belong immediately. We love each other a lot.”

Nick Jacques, from Shaker Heights, plays the cello. Jacques has been playing music since he was four years old, he said. “I got onto music when I saw my brother taking piano lessons, so I started with piano,” he said. “Then, he started playing the bass. I wanted to do that too, so I started playing the cello. It sort of grew on me ever since.”
Cello players run their bows along their instruments’ strings.

That welcoming atmosphere makes CYO special, Di Biase said. Some orchestras can get competitive, and preparing for concerts can get stressful, but they said CYO isn’t like that.

“We’re all supporting each other, and we’re all trying to grow as an orchestra,” Di Biase said. “A lot of the stuff we do is extremely challenging, but it’s presented to us in a way where it’s not overwhelmingly stressful. It’s fun throughout, even when we have to work very, very hard.”

The challenge comes in translating contemporary music into music for an orchestra, Morron said. It takes creativity, and he relies on CYO’s musicians to play an active role in shaping their music. Students need to feel comfortable enough to share their ideas, he said.

“​​If they’re uncomfortable, they’re unwilling to take chances,” he said. “With the music that we play in here, they have to take chances, they have to be willing to stretch themselves.”

Sean Hua packs up his violin. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland
Kris Morron, the orchestra’s conductor and music director, fixes a bass trombone for Ryan Watson, a musician from Brush High School. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland
A student sifts through music sheets to put them in the correct order in preparations for the concert. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland
Kayla Kosla is a flute player from Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School. Performing with Hope will be the first time she’s played with a singer, she said. “For me, personally, this experience is really unique,” she said. “I’ve never been in a contemporary orchestra, especially playing with a singing artist. And Kris, the director, is absolutely amazing. Best director I’ve ever had. It’s a real privilege to get to work with these people.” Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland

‘The best experience we’ve had’

Collaborating with working artists like Hope is a core part of CYO, Morron said. She has become a mentor to some of the orchestra’s musicians, and because she lives in Cleveland, she has made it to every rehearsal. That means a lot to the students. 

“We actually did get a chance to play with other artists, but I personally think this is definitely, like, the best experience we’ve had,” said Abigail Choi, a violinist who goes to Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School. “Chayla is just so incredible … I think that’s just been really special.”

Chayla Hope covered her mic stand in gems and disco ball tiles. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland
Chayla Hope (right) and her backup singer Christy Fader practice vocals with the orchestra. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland

Morron also aims to show CYO’s students that a career in music can be more than just performing or teaching, he said. The music industry is home to graphic designers, photographers, managers, content creators and a host of other careers that students could pursue. 

Questions about the music business come up often, Hope said. She hopes to impart the kind of advice that would have helped her as a young artist. 

“I want them to be aware, but I also want them to be really excited,” Hope said. “I don’t think you’re going to hear what you need to hear from anybody else other than somebody who struggled with it for years and has done this for all of their life.”

Signal Cleveland Service Reporter Dakotah Kennedy contributed to this report.

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K-12 Education and Youth Reporter (he/him)
As a local visual journalist, I see my purpose in building relationships as much as reporting news. I’ve made my most impactful work only after pouring myself into my community.