WHO WE ARE

Equally versed in classical and non-classical styles, our ensemble has created a niche experience for high-level performances that can cover any genre, from classical to French café jazz, Top 40, hip hop, South American and midcentury American jazz, Irish and American fiddle, original music, and improvisation.

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We value top-tier musicianship and professionalism at every step of the planning and performance process. Trained at top-tier conservatories like the world-renowned Cleveland Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Juilliard, and others, our musicians make Cleveland their home for its vibrancy, professional development opportunities, arts and culture. When they aren’t performing events with OPUS 216, our ensemble musicians perform nationally and internationally, from Lincoln Center in New York City, to subbing with major orchestras, such as the Chicago Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, and others. OPUS 216 musicians have performed onstage with everyone from John Legend to Michael Buble, Brian Wilson, Emmy Lou Harris, Andrea Bocelli, and more.

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Founded in 2012 by violinist Ariel Clayton Karas, OPUS 216 has appeared in every major venue in northeast Ohio, from special events at the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, to public and private events at Rocket Mortgage Field House, Progressive Field, Holden Arboretum, Severance Hall, the Cleveland History Center, Cleveland Botanical Gardens, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and special events for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, among others. OPUS 216 is the only independent, string-based ensemble listed as a preferred vendor for events at several of Cleveland’s largest institutions. We do live music well.