Palaver Strings

​MVCMS welcomes Palaver Strings to our 2026 Artists in Residence Program

​Palaver Strings is a Grammy-nominated, musician-led string ensemble and nonprofit organization based in Portland, ME. Founded in 2014, Palaver has made its mark as one of New England’s most innovative chamber ensembles with the mission of strengthening and inspiring community through music. In their musician-led model, Palaver’s musicians share artistic and administrative leadership, guided by a passion for engaging new audiences, addressing social justice issues, and amplifying underrepresented voices.

​Each year, Palaver presents a full concert season featuring diverse programming and world-renown collaborators, and offers music instruction to hundreds of students through the Palaver Music Center. Their recent and upcoming engagements include appearances at Tanglewood, Carnegie Hall, Newport Classical, National Sawdust, and the Kennedy Center, as well as residencies at Ithaca College, Rockport Music, Longy School of Music, and Boston Center for the Arts. The ensemble has collaborated with artists such as Kinan Azmeh and Attacca Quartet, and commissioned works from Errollyn Wallen, Kareem Roustom, and Sato Matsui.

​For this year’s Artist in Residence, a quartet of musicians from the ensemble will work with students across all Island schools through teaching, coaching, and performance. The residency will also include a public concert for the broader Island community at Featherstone Center for the Arts.