Knoxville Symphony Orchestra brings Make-A-Wish Kid’s story to life with song

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — It was a special night for one East Tennessee teen, as a song based on a story he wrote was played by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. It was all made possible by East Tennessee Make-A-Wish Foundation and Sing Me a Story.

Acheley East is the teen who came up with the story behind the song about Guac and Cheese. The story of Guac and Cheese, two of his squishmallows, was one of comedy and chaos.

“I wanted it to kind of be like a ‘Mad Max’ kind of thing,” East said.

“I wanted it to be really expressive and have a lot of references to shows I like and different things I enjoy,” Acheley said.

The performance put on by KSO marked the first time the teen heard this version of the song. For KSO, helping the community is one thing they pride themselves on.

“This is a pillar of what we do,” Trianne Newbrey said. “Community collaborations are really important to us over at the Knoxville Symphony and being able to impact the lives of kids in East Tennessee is even more important to us. Being able to combine both opportunities for us into one is the perfect combination.”

When Acheley found out he was chosen for all this, he couldn’t believe it.

“It was really shocking. I didn’t know this would happen. It was a very surprising experience,” Acheley said. “I didn’t know that all of this could happen to one person. When I found out I was specially chosen, it was very grounding. Like, I was chosen out of all these people and I thought that was very nice and that it was something very special.”

One of Acheley’s best friends was right there by his side for the whole show. He told 6 News how cool it was to see his friend get to experience something like this.

“It was very exciting once I heard this,” Cash said. “Plus, I’m very happy he invited me out of all his other friends that he has.”

Even the Maestro of the Orchestra applauded Acheley for the masterpiece he created.

We are told Acheley is a trombone player at Bearden Middle School and the idea for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra to play this song was brought up by Knox County Commissioner Larsen Jay.

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