Beyond the Stage

By the time The OK Factor took the stage for their headline performance in the Sacred Heart Chapel on Oct. 4, they were pretty familiar with the CSB campus. And St. Joe. And St. Cloud. Sartell and St. Augusta, as well.

That’s because their public performance was just the cherry on top of a delicious three-day residency. They worked with students through Intercultural & International Student Services. They went off campus to work with 6-8 grade string players at Kennedy Elementary in St. Joseph. They went out in the community and performed at senior centers and hospitals. “What we love about a residency is that it gives us a chance to embed ourselves into the community for which we’ll perform, rather than simply pass through,” says cellist Olivia Diercks of OK Factor. For Tanya Gertz, executive director of Fine Arts Programming at CSB/SJU, the ability to bring artists in for residency experiences is what makes it possible to dream big creative dreams that have real impact. Your charitable dollars help make that possible. “We have an expansive and integrated vision so every artist on stage is also connecting on multiple levels off the stage,” she explains. “A residency gives our music, and us as performers, a unique sense of purpose,” says violinist Karla Colahan of OK Factor. “And we hope that by sharing our music with these beautiful communities, we strengthen our bond with them – sharing with them one of the most personal and important things in our lives.”