“They clearly have influences in Americana and Irish/Gaelic fiddle styles, but with the virtuosity of classical performers...They are great advocates for the potential of folk-inspired music.”— CLAIRE PHILPOTT, CLASSICAL MPR

“A lot of musicians are thinking about their creativity and what they want to say. But (The OK Factor) takes (their) audience into consideration - I’ve never heard an artist speak in that way.”— JULIE AMACHER, CLASSICAL MPR

The OK Factor is highly sought after. You’ve heard them on MPR Classical, and they’ve played and offered workshops everywhere - and yet they keep appearing in new ways and places all over.

Don’t miss this special opportunity to hear them live in the beautiful and intimate acoustic of our sanctuary.

Find them online: https://www.theokfactor.com/

Olivia Diercks and Karla Colahan - cellist and violinist of the new-classical crossover duo, The OK Factor - have one word to describe their musical connection: lucky. The almost telepathic way they respond to one another is palpable to the audiences they capture during performances, as is their spontaneity and joy. Organic and genuine, their original compositions and arrangements feel both comfortingly familiar and uniquely fresh, and have been described as "genre-bending" (Julie Amacher, MPR) and "pure magic" (Wausau Pilot & Review).

Within their decade of writing, performing, and touring, The OK Factor has honed in on ways they can impact the communities they visit outside the concert hall. Residency work has become a deep passion - sharing intimate performances, conducting outreach activities, and leading workshops for students through their education initiative, ATLAS. Olivia and Karla are also sought-after collaborators and composers-in-residence, having worked with many regional, national, and international artists, and various digital music libraries.

The OK Factor’s distinct compositional and performance style awarded them the honor of being finalists for the prestigious McKnight Fellowships for Musicians in 2018, and Artist Fellowship recipients for Scandinavian Folk Arts and Cultural Traditions through the American Scandinavian Foundation in 2020. The duo has produced five studio albums of their original pieces and arrangements: Water Street ('14), That's Enough of That ('16), Have Yourself an OK Christmas ('17), Season’s Greetings (‘20), and OKX (to be released spring of ‘23).