Bizarre Star Strings
Kyleen, Patti, and Anna are each creative powerhouses in their own right. Each of these talented women started out by honing their technical skills in the classical arena, followed by years of touring with rock bands, recording albums, and performing in dive bars and concert halls across an array of genres. They are passionate about music, versatile and flexible, and fun to work with. The three have been collaborating as players and composers since 2010.
Patti King
Violin and backing vocals
Patti grew up playing violin and songwriting on guitar and piano. In 2009, after earning her Master of Arts in violin from Truman State University in Missouri, Patti joined a rock band and followed her sister, Kyleen, to Portland. After playing with a number of folk songwriters, forming a Klezmer band, and recording violin for friends’ albums, she joined Radiation City in the summer of 2011. As a member of the band, Patti honed her skills on synthesizers, toured internationally, and recorded three albums. In addition to doing session work as a violinist regularly in Portland, Patti performs as a vocal soloist with The Portland Cello Project and, as of August 2016, plays keys, violin, and vocals as a touring member of The Shins.
Kyleen King
Viola and backing vocals
Having been a student of music since the age of 3, Kyleen has over 30 years experience as a classically trained violinist and violist. Armed with a formal education in music (Springfield, MO) and audio engineering (Nashville, TN), she has followed a passionate path towards multi-instrumentalism (guitar, electric bass, keys, percussion, and vocals). As a performer, composer / arranger, and studio session musician she has worked in the genres of rock, folk, jazz, classical, and experimental music. A long-standing member of the Portland music community, she has also performed and composed alongside dancers, visual artists, filmmakers, and writers. Kyleen performs and tours regularly with her art pop trio, Swansea, along with other bands, including a recent year on the road with Austin, Texas-based Heartless Bastards. She currently tours with Brandi Carlile as a violinist/backing vocalist.
Anna Fritz
Cello and backing vocals
Anna trained as a classical cellist from the time she was a small child, culminating her studies as a student of Uri Vardi at the University of Wisconsin Madison in 1998. She relocated to the Pacific Northwest in 2000 where she’s become a sought after genre-crossing cellist. She is a founding member of the Portland Cello Project and spent seven years as a touring member of the group. Her cello work has been featured on more than 50 albums from rock, jazz, folk, and indie bands. Anna has established herself as an independent songwriter and folksinger, releasing three solo albums in the last ten years. She has also maintained a studio of private cello students since 2007.