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Download the Band Biography “Exciting! Fiery and very moving!” – Gianni Valenti, Owner, Birdland Jazz Club, NYC JUNO Award nominees Sultans of String thrill their audiences with their global sonic tapestry of Spanish Flamenco, Arabic folk, Cuban rhythms, and Gypsy-jazz, celebrating musical fusion and human creativity with warmth and virtuosity. Fiery violin dances with rumba-flamenco guitar while bass lays down unstoppable grooves. Acoustic strings meet with electronic wizardry to create layers and depth of sound, while world rhythms excite audiences to their feet with the irresistible need to dance. Sultans of String have been riding a wave of success, hitting #1 on world/jazz music charts in North America, and earning eight Canadian Folk Music Award nominations, winning Instrumental and World Group of the Year. They also took home the 2014 SiriusXM Award for World Group, and 1st place in the International Songwriting Competition out of 15,000 entries! The band has been recorded live for broadcast on BBC TV, SiriusXM in Washington DC, CTV’s CanadaAM, CBC’s Canada Live, and Kentucky’s WoodSongs, and has topped campus/community radio charts in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Colombia, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, The Netherlands, U.S. and U.K. When violinist and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient Chris McKhool (Jesse Cook, Pavlo) first heard founding guitarist Kevin Laliberté’s (Jesse Cook) rumba rhythm, their musical synergy created Sultans of String’s signature sound — the intimate and playful relationship between violin and guitar. Amazing musical friends include bassist Drew Birston (Chantal Kreviazuk), Cuban percussionist Chendy Leon (Alex Cuba), Eddie Paton, and special guests such as the Chieftains’ Paddy Moloney, folk-pop darlings Dala, and sitar virtuoso Anwar Khurshid (Oscar winning Life of Pi). This Canadian string super-group performs as a duo to quintet, bringing their unique blend of global music to audiences around the world including Celtic Connections Festival (UK), Birdland Jazz Club in NYC, Canada’s National Arts Centre, and Folk Alliance in Memphis, TN. They were recently named Official Cultural Ambassadors by the City of Toronto with special performances in Toronto and New York. PHOTOGRAPHY: KEVIN KELLY PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN KELLY PHOTOGRAPHY: Sultans of String have also performed Symphony concerts across the continent (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra with Maestro John Morris Russell of Cincinnati Pops, Kingfield Pops), as well as Education Concerts with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Programs available: Duo to Quintet • With Sitar Virtuoso Anwar Khurshid With Cuban Horn Ensemble • With Symphony Orchestra Education & Family Shows • Workshops Les concerts peuvent être présentés en français. CANADA BOOKING/MANAGEMENT/PRESS LW Communications +1 (416) 624-3466 • [email protected] ONTARIO SCHOOL CONCERTS Prologue to the Performing Arts 1-888-591-9092 416-591-9092 • [email protected] U.S. BOOKING Steve Heath, Alma Artist Booking +1 (734) 757-6774 • [email protected] www.almaartistbooking.com U.S. MANAGEMENT Dave Wilkes +1 (973) 492-0064 • [email protected] CC: Chris McKhool • [email protected] www.sultansofstring.com 1-800-MCKHOOL (625-4665).
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  • Virtual Program Is Brought to You by the Streaming Services of Entertainment Engineering Collective
    a A LIVE VIRTUAL PERFORMANCE WITH Q&A APRIL 13, 2021 · 7 P.M. Supporting the Arts at Oswego Made possible by the Student Arts Fee, administered by ARTSwego SUNY Oswego — Livestream interactive Zoom concert! Featured on the New York Times hits list and the Billboard World Music Charts! Sultans of String band members Chris McKhool, Kevin Laliberté and Drew Birston perform the Best of the Sultans, beamed right into your living room! Special guests include Ojibway Elder Duke Redbird, flamenco dancer and singer Tamar Ilana, JUNO Award-winning Hungarian pianist Robi Botos, Madagascar’s Donné Roberts and Yukiko Tsutsui from Japan! This is over Zoom, which is awesome because it is interactive, and we will be able to see and hear you, and you can see and hear us, and you can all see each other as well! It is a real show! So pour yourself a quarantini, and get ready to enjoy the music! The link becomes live at 6:40 p.m. to get settled and chat with our friends. And make sure you have speakers plugged in if you have them! The show will last about an hour, and then will feature a talkback portion, so bring your burning questions, as we will be opening up the floor for anyone who has always wanted to ask any of the artists about their inspiration, or music, or whatever strikes your fancy. Special guest performance by the SUNY Oswego’s Small Group Jazz The Girl from Ipanema Antônio Carlos Jobim (1927-1994) Ryan Zampella, Tenor Saxophone Brandon Schmitt, Guitar Benjamin Coddington, Piano Zachary Robison, Bass Robert Ackerman, Drum Set The State University of New York at Oswego would like to recognize with respect the Onondaga Nation, the “people of the hills,” or central firekeepers of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Indigenous peoples on whose ancestral lands SUNY Oswego now stands.
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  • Acclaimed Trio to Perform at Mill Square | Saultonline.Com
    Acclaimed Trio to Perform at Mill Square By Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick - March 25, 2016 Sultans of String. Photo courtesy of LW Communications. World music and symphony fans are in for a mellifluous medley this spring as award-winning string trio, Sultans of String will be stopping in the Sault. As part of their North American tour, the Juno Award nominees will be collaborating with the Sault Symphony Orchestra and performing at the Mill Square Machine Shop On Saturday, April 23, 2016 at 8pm. The trio consists of Chris McKhool, Kevin Laliberte and Drew Birston, who bring a wealth of musical experience to the table after many years of touring with Canadian music icons Chantal Kreviazuk, Melanie Doane, Jesse Cook and more. The group has won two Canadian Folk Music Awards, a Sirius XM award and first place in in the International Songwriting Competition. Chris McKhool, Sultans of String’s band leader, violinist and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medalist, graciously provided Sault Online with a bit of Q/A: Sault Online (SO): Is McKhool your real name? Chris McKhool (CM): Yes, my ancestors are from Lebanon, which is why Arabic music influences our songs. My grandfather left as a stowaway in the early 1900s and the original spelling was Makhoul. The authorities assumed it was the Irish pronunciation (McCool) and the name McKhool stuck. We are the only ones in Canada with that spelling. SO: How long have you been playing the violin? CM: Since I was a kid; I started when I was six or seven and learned by using the Suzuki Technique (learning by ear.) In high school I started playing with bands.
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  • Sultans of String Riding Subcontinental Drift Into Meaford Search
    YOU ARE HERE: HOME LIFE/LEISURE ARTS & CULTURE SULTANS OF STRING RIDING SUBCONTINENTAL DRIFT INTO MEAFORD SEARCH HOME NEWS EDITORIAL OPINION LETTERS LIFE/LEISURE BUSINESS EVENTS CONTACTS ARTS & CULTURE EARTH NEWS HEALTH & HOME LOCAL FOOD ATHLETICS BEYOND OUR BORDERS ALTERNATIVES Thursday, 27th August 2015 Sultans of String Riding HELP SUPPORT TMI! Meaford, ON Subcontinental Drift Into Current Thurs Morn Meaford Tuesday, 18 August 2015 08:40 By Stephen Vance, Staff Life & Leisure - Arts & Culture 14°c 14°c ADVERTISEMENT city name wo-time Juno award nominees, and the winners of two Canadian Folk Music awards, the Sultans of String will make a stop in Meaford on T Saturday, August 29, and not only will they be performing, they will be releasing their new album. The album, Subcontinental Drift, will serve up a smorgasbord of ragas, reels and rumbas, and it features the sounds of sitar master Anwar Khurshid – a name you might not know, but his sounds have no doubt found their way to your ears in such films as Life of Pi. In an interview with The Independent, bandleader Chris McKhool said that he and his band mates are looking forward to performing at Meaford Hall. “I think we played there a long time ago, and it's a really beautiful spot, it's gorgeous,” offered McKhool. The Meaford performance, along with a stop in Midland the night prior, will feature music from their new album, including the highly regarded talents of special guest Anwar Khurshid. “At both the Midland and Meaford shows we're going to be having a special guest, Anwar Khurshid, with whom we made this CD,” said McKhool, adding that while the new CD is ready to go, some rules for the annual Juno awards will delay the actual release of the new album until September 1.
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  • Cleveland Classical – Canada's Sultans of String to Play Nighttown
    Preview Canada's Sultans of String to play at Nighttown on January 31 by Mike Telin Known as “Canada’s ambassadors of musical diversity”, the Sultans of String make a return visit to Cleveland on Thursday, January 31 beginning at 8:00 pm at Nighttown. The Sultan’s blend of Spanish Fla- menco, Arabic folk, Cuban rhythms, and French Manouche Gypsy-jazz have earned them a 2010 Juno Award nomination as well as being named the World Group of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards (2012). The group has also been nominated for the 2013 for World Group of the Year at the 2013 SiriusXM Canadian Indie Awards, and on February 10, bandleader and violinist Chris McKhool will be awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his work in build- ing community, and for his contributions to Canada. We spoke to violinist and bandleader Chris McKhool by telephone and began by asking him what audiences can expect at their Nighttown show. Chris McKhool: We’ll be playing everything from Flamenco and Salsa to some New #460.3F9*3(*)/&>>&7;*11&7742*6&'.(6-=8-27&3)*18.(56*88=29(-6933.3,8-* ,&29898;-*3&114+8-*7*.3F9*3(*7(42*84,*8-*68-*=(6*&8*&7493)(437.)*6 magical. And, we also have a lot of fun on stage. I’ll be on violin, Kevin Laliberté’s on guitar and Drew Birston is on bass. Drew is an amazing player who’s as comfortable on huge pop stages as he is in jazz clubs. Kevin has toured around the world with the likes of Jessie Cooke and the Chieftains.
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  • Sultans of String
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