The OK Factor

When you are looking to hire musicians for your special event, you are looking for knowledge and professionalism. You want to hire musicians who can charm and delight your guests with beautiful music, standard repertoire, new surprises, and old favorites. You want nothing short of fabulous, and you deserve the highest quality performance and entertainment the region has to offer.

The OK Factor's Olivia Diercks, cello, and Karla Peters, violin, embody all of these qualifications and more. They are not only professional classical musicians but also composers, arrangers, and entertainers on their instruments. Graduates of Luther College, Olivia and Karla have branched out of their classical roots to become advocates and lovers of folk music, and recently released two albums featuring their original music. They both bring years of previous performance experience that will make your special event one of a kind.

Additionally, Olivia and Karla are pleased to offer a unique service specifically for weddings. Should you be interested, Olivia and Karla will compose an exclusive piece just for your big day. Your wedding is all about you as a couple -- why not let the music reflect that with an original composition written just for you? All it requires is some inspiration — photos, fun stories, special memories of your history as a couple. You'll even receive a professional recording of your piece for you to keep. We hope you will consider having an original piece to commemorate your relationship, and your new transition ahead!

Olivia & Karla are pleased to assist with musical selection, event coordination and service outline, special requests, hiring other musicians, and creating the perfect soundtrack for your event.

Thank you for your consideration!

Olivia Diercks and Karla Peters - 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).

In their 10+ years of writing, performing, and touring, The OK Factor has honed the ways they impact communities 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, and dedication to educational outreach, awarded them a Minnesota State Arts Board Arts Education Grant for the 2024 school year, and an Artist Fellowship 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 (‘23).

At this time, we do not provide services for outdoor events, due to the extreme climate of Minnesota and the fragile nature of our instruments.