Cleveland’s Contemporary Youth Orchestra will often perform with rock musicians. The latest such concert finds the group paired with Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw, who joins the ensemble at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 27, at Cleveland State University’s Waetjen Auditorium. Currently in its seventeenth year, CYO’s annual Rock the Orchestra has featured acts such as Ben Folds, Graham Nash, Bootsy Collins and Jon Anderson of Yes. This year marks the 10th anniversary of CYO’s performance with Styx in 2006.

The performance will feature music from Styx, Damn Yankees, Shaw Blades, and Shaw’s solo career.

“We are honored and excited to have Tommy Shaw join us for his first solo acoustic show with orchestra, celebrating the ten year anniversary of the Styx and CYO show,” says music director Liza Grossman in a press release. “His unique voice will soar above the orchestra and his fans will hear his songs in a format like never before.”

CYO features 115 students from 64 Northeast Ohio school districts. Tickets for Tommy Shaw and Contemporary Youth Orchestra are available at cyorchestra.org.

This article appears in May 4-10, 2016.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.