Music Performance
Overview
As a collaborative pianist, the Ivy-Cheston Piano Duo was featured as guest performers with the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra, performing compositions for two pianos, four hands and orchestra, with the orchestra performing two of Dr. Cheston's arrangements and one of her orchestrations. Tiamoyo Arts and Education offers performances, workshops, and residencies tailored to schools, churches, community organizations, and arts institutions.
As part of its mission, Tiamoyo Arts and Education offers concerts, many of which are free to audience members throughout northeast Ohio.
informance
a performance that can entertain but also educate
- Performances
- Educational Programs and Workshops
- Ethnomusicology Lectures/Performances
Performance ensembles
Tiamoyo Trio, Tiamoyo Duo, and Tiamoyo Chorale embody the mission of Tiamoyo Arts and Education to inspire and encourage through music. These ensembles perform a wide range of repertoire—from Renaissance works to contemporary popular music—and appear in concert halls, churches, and community venues throughout Northeast Ohio. Dr. Cheston’s extensive background as a pianist, vocalist, worship leader, and collaborative artist enriches every performance, offering audiences a blend of emotional depth and spiritual resonance.
Performances include: |
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Educational Programs & Workshops
Education has been at the heart of Tiamoyo Arts and Education since its founding. Dr. Cheston’s experience as a licensed K–12 teacher through the college and graduate level, registered Suzuki piano educator, and Artist‑in‑Residence, has shaped a wide range of engaging, age‑appropriate programs for schools, universities, churches, and community organizations.
Examples of Educational Programs previously provided |
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Composition
As an artist-in-residence at the Cleveland School of the Arts, Dr. Cheston composed and orchestrated music scores for mainstage productions performed in the Playhouse Square Entertainment Center, including The Butterfly That Stamped and Chicken Little, which received the Cleveland Critic’s Circle Carolyn Reid Award for Educational Theater and The Northern Ohio Live Magazine Award of Achievement in Theater. She also composed the children’s worship songbook series, Praise with Pizzazz: Contemporary Praise Chorus Scripture Songs Volumes 1 and 2 and numerous compositions. As a composer of choral, vocal, instrumental, theater scores, and children’s music, Dr. Cheston's compositions, orchestrations, and arrangements have been performed by the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra, Mark Dumm (Cleveland Orchestra violinist, retired 2022), violinist Stephen Sims, and have been performed on a graduate recital at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Performance services are tailored for the occasion and include: |
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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT Dr. Cheston's MUSIC COMPOSITIONS
Freedom Medley for Chorus and Orchestra
Tiamoyo Music (2002)
premiered at the 2002 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration in Oberlin, Ohio
“It was so well received that it was also requested for this year’s performance. I was very impressed with how Dr. Cheston was able to compose this piece for youth, yet maintaining a maturity and strength that continues to move audiences to tears. She has a unique way of composing music that literally infuses itself into the occasion.”
Alexis Rainbow, conductorOberlin Choristers Concert Choir & Oberlin Community Youth Chorus
Tiamoyo Music (2002)
premiered at the 2002 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration in Oberlin, Ohio
“It was so well received that it was also requested for this year’s performance. I was very impressed with how Dr. Cheston was able to compose this piece for youth, yet maintaining a maturity and strength that continues to move audiences to tears. She has a unique way of composing music that literally infuses itself into the occasion.”
Alexis Rainbow, conductorOberlin Choristers Concert Choir & Oberlin Community Youth Chorus
Reprinted FromTHE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER, MAY 6, 1984"SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT"
With its jazzy Broadway-quality score, witty book and slick choreography, "Chicken Little" demands professional-level work from its 200 or so students in it.
...Brown's score, for instance, includes intricate musical passages and vocals that stretch the singers. "When I orchestrated the music I had to keep in mind that I had to make it playable for the kids and still make it wonderful," Brown said. "That was the challenge: To make it special and not the usual simple children's music."
Joanna Conners, Theater Critic
With its jazzy Broadway-quality score, witty book and slick choreography, "Chicken Little" demands professional-level work from its 200 or so students in it.
...Brown's score, for instance, includes intricate musical passages and vocals that stretch the singers. "When I orchestrated the music I had to keep in mind that I had to make it playable for the kids and still make it wonderful," Brown said. "That was the challenge: To make it special and not the usual simple children's music."
Joanna Conners, Theater Critic
Praise With Pizzazz, Volume 1
Contemporary Praise Chorus Scripture Songs for Children's and Youth Choirs, Christian Education Programs, and Congregational Worship Tiamoyo Music (2003)
“…They are wonderful. Thank you so much. What a gift. I am so excited to share them with the kids…I just praise God for you following His call and writing these. They’re just absolutely terrific and lets me get my hands on some chords that I wouldn’t think of myself… It is just fabulous…” Brenda Calovini, M.A., MT-BCMusic Therapist
Contemporary Praise Chorus Scripture Songs for Children's and Youth Choirs, Christian Education Programs, and Congregational Worship Tiamoyo Music (2003)
“…They are wonderful. Thank you so much. What a gift. I am so excited to share them with the kids…I just praise God for you following His call and writing these. They’re just absolutely terrific and lets me get my hands on some chords that I wouldn’t think of myself… It is just fabulous…” Brenda Calovini, M.A., MT-BCMusic Therapist
Reprinted FromTHE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER, MAY 12, 1984'CHICKEN LITTLE' CAST HATCHES TOP MUSICAL
The music by Betty Eschuk [lyricist] and Sharon-Faye Brown [composer] is a breezy mixture of blues, ballads and Broadway.
Roxanne T. Mueller
The music by Betty Eschuk [lyricist] and Sharon-Faye Brown [composer] is a breezy mixture of blues, ballads and Broadway.
Roxanne T. Mueller
Reprinted FromNORTHERN OHIO LIVE MAGAZINE, MAY 1984
Chicken Little bounces along to cheery, catchy music (by Sharon Brown...) with rock and jazz overtones.
...it's a very entertaining, flashy, high-stepping musical.
Marianne Evett
Chicken Little bounces along to cheery, catchy music (by Sharon Brown...) with rock and jazz overtones.
...it's a very entertaining, flashy, high-stepping musical.
Marianne Evett
Ethnomusicology & Lecture Services
As an ethnomusicologist, Dr. Cheston's research into African‑American gospel music piano accompaniment performance practices, along with her being a tradition bearer of gospel music, Dr. Cheston offers lecture‑performances that illuminate the cultural, historical, and musical foundations of gospel music. Her presentations—delivered at universities, conferences, and national forums—combine scholarship, live demonstration, and audience engagement. These programs explore improvisation, performance practices, and the broader cultural narratives that shape African‑American musical expression. Dr. Cheston is committed to preserving, teaching, and celebrating the rich heritage of Black sacred music.
Dr. Cheston is available for... |
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Programs & Special Offerings
Tiamoyo Arts and Education is home to several signature programs that blend performance, storytelling, and education. Works such as Chicken Little (It’s Not What You Think!) and The Butterfly That Stamped have earned critical acclaim and awards for their artistic excellence and educational impact. The Praise with Pizzazz series brings scripture‑based songs to life for children through joyful participation.
Services are tailored for the occasion such as: |
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