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.


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Palaver Strings

Palaver Strings' headquarters in Portland, United States

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