Rising Stars: Meet Ariel Clayton Karas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ariel Clayton Karas.

Hi Ariel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
OPUS 216 began nearly a decade ago, in late 2012, after an inquiry from the Cleveland Museum of Art to create a small chamber orchestra for their first MIX event in the new Ames Family Atrium. From that event and the formal inception of our ensemble to nearly a thousand events and a decade later, we’ve loved bringing our music to some of life’s biggest (and most intimate) moments.

Aside from the weddings and celebrations of all shapes and sizes we live for, we love doing summer patio shows, community performances, and educational concerts. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we founded Front Yard Concerts, which were a pay-what-you-can model, offering accessible live music for families and groups of neighbors across northeast Ohio… we have performed nearly 150 since May of 2020 and plan to offer them indefinitely during the warm weather months!

We relish recording sessions in Cleveland’s best studios for local singer-songwriters, as well as artists across the country. We love our varied and crazy life – it’s not always easy to define our work, but every day is new and different; challenging and interesting!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Balancing our lives as musicians can be really challenging. The pace of events makes some weeks feel like a true marathon, but then, in the end, it truly is a dream job!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We’re classically trained musicians who thrive in every genre from pop to jazz, Irish fiddle, and more… Music is music, and we try to love it all! We specialize in high-end events and thoughtfully curated performances. The musicians in our ensemble primarily draw from the world-renowned Cleveland Institute of Music – our core players have subbed and toured with major US orchestras, performed internationally, and have a blast playing our events here in Cleveland.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
One of the biggest things we believe in has always been using our platform for social good – sometimes we support causes for which we have deep conviction and need to speak out for, whether it’s environmental justice or social change. It can feel risky to put your work and identity on top of a cause, especially as a creative professional, but our work wouldn’t hold the same meaning if we didn’t try to live those convictions.

Contact Info:

• Email: Ariel@arielclayton.com
• Website: Www.opus216.com
• Instagram: @opus216
• Facebook: OPUS 216
• Youtube: OPUS 216

Image Credits
All photos courtesy of OPUS 216