New-Classical crossover duo, The OK Factor, joins Rochester Symphony for a chamber concert event at the Historic Chateau Theatre. Warm-up with this program reminiscent of a casual summer gathering around the front porch, featuring Copland’s classic Appalachian Spring and The OK Factor’s original folk-inspired music performed in the glow of candles and twinkling porch lights.
Tickets $25 - 3PM | $33 - 7:30PM
Playful and unexpected, new-classical crossover duo The OK Factor writes and performs folk-inspired music influenced by multiple genres, with an artistry that reveals their classical training. Cellist Olivia Diercks and violinist Karla Peters find great joy in defying expectations and delivering an experience outside of what audiences anticipate from a cello and violin combo. Organic and genuine, their original compositions feel both comfortingly familiar and uniquely fresh, and have been described as "genre-bending" (Julie Amacher, MPR) and "pure magic" (Wausau Pilot & Review). The ease with which they write and perform and their passion for educational outreach has caught the attention of the Minnesota music community in which they live and work, as recipients of a 2024 Minnesota State Arts Board Arts Education Grant, and a 2020 Scandinavian Folk Arts and Cultural Traditions Fellowship through the American Scandinavian Foundation. Olivia and Karla invite audiences to explore music and cultivate a curiosity about its role in their lives.