Jaerv & The OK Factor

Minneapolis, MN-based string duo The OK Factor, and award-winning Swedish quintet Jaerv, are excited to present their program, Traditions. 

Following their joint Swedish tours in the summer of 2021, 2023, and 2025 and their US tours in the fall of 2022, 2023, and January 2024, the bands are excited to share the music and camaraderie that grew from these cultural exchanges. 

In 2017, the bands’ musical worlds collided after The OK Factor opened for Jaerv at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. There was an immediate connection between them, grounded in a mutual love and respect for one anothers’ talent, rhythmic intricacies, inspiring melodic ornamentation, fascinating instrumentation, and - yes, musical traditions.

After shared performances and the study of traditional Swedish and American music throughout their tour of Sweden, a natural and organic partnership has developed between The OK Factor and Jaerv that is felt, seen, and heard by their audiences, both in Sweden and in the US.

Throughout Traditions, the bands hone the art of collaboration through unique instrumentation and sensitive musical interplay, creating a palpable joy that their audiences will carry home. And for those who can’t make it to the concert, the bands are seasoned educators, and are excited to offer community outreach in a myriad of settings, including schools. Through a respect for musical tradition paired with the desire to expand its boundaries, the bands encourage their audiences to follow it not just back in time, but into the future.

• Joel Hagen - flute, whistles, soprano saxophone, vocals
• Markus Gustavsson - fiddle, lead vocals
• Tobias Hedlund - percussion, vocals, pump organ
• Harald Nilsson - guitars, vocals
• Anders Bergsten - double bass, nyckelharpa, vocals
• Olivia Diercks - cello
• Karla Peters - violin