181 State St
Portland, ME 04101
USA
Beehive Chamber Series: Nightingale in a Tree
Palaver Strings welcomes Fredy Clue, a Nyckelharpa virtuoso, composer, and multi-instrumentalist from Sweden. Hailed as “a creator of remarkable experiences and a true innovator in the folk art space,” Clue has taken the traditional music scene by storm. Their music takes inspiration from the forests, oceans, birds, and animals alike. Joined by Maine’s own Jamie Oshima, we will premiere Fredy’s new arrangements for Nyckelharpa and strings. We pair Clue’s music with Philip Glass’s Fourth String Quartet. Written in memory of avant-garde artist Brian Buczak, this three-movement work combines undulating arpeggios, soaring melodies, and rich harmonies to create a deep-rooted, whole-body experience
Palaver Strings
Palaver Strings is a musician-led string ensemble and nonprofit organization based in Portland, ME. Founded in 2014 and established as a nonprofit in 2015, Palaver has made its mark as a forward-thinking ensemble whose mission is to strengthen and inspire community through music.
Palaver recruits musicians from top music training institutions in Boston, New York, Chicago, and beyond, with the goal of bringing highly skilled musicians and educators to Portland and contributing to Maine’s cultural diversity and creative economy. Palaver ensemble members share artistic and administrative leadership, guided by a passion for engaging new audiences, addressing social justice issues, and amplifying underrepresented voices.
Each year, Palaver Strings presents a full series of live performances featuring diverse musical programming, cross-genre projects, and community collaborations in Maine and around the northeast. The ensemble has performed at venues such as the Kennedy Center, National Sawdust, and a Lullaby Project celebration at Carnegie Hall. Palaver’s most recent album Ready or Not (Azica Records, 2022) has received acclaim by publications such as The Guardian and BBC Music Magazine.
Equally committed to education, Palaver launched the Palaver Music Center in 2019, which now serves hundreds of Portland-area students each year. The ensemble has enjoyed residencies at Rockport Music, Boston Center for the Arts, Bay Chamber Concerts, and Longy School of Music, where ensemble members teach workshops, master classes, and graduate courses on music and community engagement. In 2022, Palaver opened its first dedicated teaching space in downtown Portland, a new community hub for lessons, classes, rehearsals, and more.
Arrangements and Original Compositions: Fredy Clue
Fredy Clue
Fredy Clue’s music digs deep into people’s hearts and helps them make room for healing and love. After ten years of experience performing on stage, Fredy Clue appears with their own music arranged for Palaver Strings. Fredy meets the audience with their Nyckelharpa and voice, instruments and beats. Together they lift Swedish folk music into a queer world of poetry and emotions. Together with the team of the small and legendary Kakafon Records from Sweden, Fredy released their debut EP on June 2, 2023.
String Quartet No. 4: Philip Glass
Musicians
Violin: Maya French, Jesse MacDonald
Viola: Elizabeth Moore
Cello: Titilayo Ayangade
Nyckleharpa: Fredy Clue
Guitar: Jamie Oshima
Jamie Oshima
Jamie Oshima is a multi instrumentalist, producer, songwriter, and filmmaker from the woods of maine. At the age of fifteen he began touring the continent playing guitar and piano for contra dances and festivals. Now in his twenties and working on the fifth album of the indie pop band Oshima Brothers, Jamie still gets lost in creative projects and is often late to meetings with his brother.