940 Bonisteel Rd
Trenton, ON K8V 5P8
Canada
We’re happy to host the return of Billboard Chart Toppers & 6x CFMA winners SULTANS OF STRING!
Led by Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient Chris McKhool, these Billboard chart-toppers are an “energetic and exciting band with talent to burn!” (Maverick Magazine UK). Thrilling their audiences with their genre-hopping passport of Celtic reels, Django-jazz, Flamenco and Middle Eastern rhythms, Sultans of String celebrate musical fusion and human creativity with warmth and virtuosity. Fiery violin dances with rumba-flamenco guitar, while bass and nyckelharpa lay down unstoppable grooves. Throughout, acoustic strings meet electronic wizardry to create layers and depth of sound.
Together their music tells stories of Canada featuring such majestic sights as the wild horses of Sable Island; Luna, the orca off the West coast; a sunrise in the Arctic Circle’s Auyuittuq Park, an East Coast kitchen party, and more!
McKhool comes by global music through deep ties to his ancestry – his father’s name would have been pronounced Makhoul in ancestral Kfirmishki Lebanon, and his Egyptian-born mother happened to play piano, teach classical theory and feed her young son as much music instruction as she did Middle Eastern cuisine. From there, the powerful violinist developed a taste for multi-genre string sounds and found a like-minded crew of all-world enthusiasts. When McKhool first heard the rumba rhythm of founding guitarist Kevin Laliberté (Jesse Cook), their musical synergy created Sultans of String’s signature sound – the intimate and playful relationship between violin and guitar. From this rich foundation, the dynamic duo grew, featuring such amazing musical friends as the virtuosic nyckelharpa playing of Saskia Tomkins (Celtic music consultant for the Broadway hit Come From Away).
Equally at home in a concert hall, folk and jazz club or festival setting, the Sultans have gigged at JUNOfest, the legendary club Birdland in New York, Celtic Connections Festival (Glasgow) and London’s Trafalgar Square. They have sold out Koerner Hall three times and performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. They have played live on CBC’s Canada Live, BBC Radio, BBC TV, Irish National Radio, and the syndicated World Café, Woodsongs, and SiriusXM in Washington. Sultans of String’s musicianship and versatility are also showcased in collaborations with such diverse luminaries as Paddy Moloney & The Chieftains, Sweet Honey in The Rock, Richard Bona (Paul Simon), Alex Cuba, Béla Fleck, Crystal Shawanda & Ken Whiteley. Their most recent collaboration “Walking Through The Fire” features the outstanding artistry of Indigenous artists across Turtle Island including Dr. Duke Redbird, Shannon Thunderbird, Marc Meriläinen and more, earning them 3 CFMA nominations and the Cannes World Film Festival win for their Film rendition, earning Best Musical Film and Best Soundtrack.
“Dazzles with inventiveness!”
Rock ‘n’ Reel Magazine, UK
“Chris McKhool and the boys are fantastic!”
Bob Ezrin (Producer, Pink Floyd. Peter Gabriel)
“Your set was sensational. Loved it.”
(The Late) Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul & Mary)
“Sultans of String are one of Canada’s hottest musical exports, dynamically embodying their homeland’s values of tolerance and respect for diverse cultures.“
Celtic Connections, Glasgow UK
Chris McKhool has an Egyptian-born mother who happened to play the piano, teach classical theory, and feed her young son as much Middle Eastern cuisine as she did music lessons. From there, the powerful violinist developed a taste for multi-genre string sounds and found a like-minded crew of all-world enthusiasts. When McKhool 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. From this rich foundation, the dynamic duo grew, featuring such amazing musical friends as nyckelharpa player Saskia Tomkins.
Equally at home in a concert hall, folk and jazz club or festival setting, the Sultans have gigged at JUNOfest, the legendary club Birdland in New York, Celtic Connections Festival (Glasgow) and London’s Trafalgar Square. They have sold out Koerner Hall three times, performed with the Toronto, Vancouver, and Edmonton Symphony Orchestras. They have played live on CBC’s Canada Live, BBC Radio, BBC TV, Irish National Radio, and the syndicated World Café, Woodsongs, and SiriusXM in Washington. Sultans of String’s musicianship and versatility are also showcased in collaborations with such diverse luminaries as Paddy Moloney & The Chieftains, Sweet Honey in The Rock, Richard Bona (Paul Simon), Alex Cuba, Rubén Blades, Yasmin Levy, Benoit Bourque, Béla Fleck, Crystal Shawanda and Ken Whiteley.
Learn more about this multi-award winning group on their website.
RECENT AWARDS:
• 2026 JUNO nomination – Children’s Album of the Year – for Chris McKhool
• 2025 Burlington Key To The City presented to Chris McKhool
• 2025 Canadian Folk Music Awards – nominated Ensemble of the Year with Walking Through The Fire
- 2025 Festivals & Events Ontario – Performer of The Year
- 2025 Festivals & Events Ontario – Innovation Award
- 2025 Cannes World Film Festival -Best Musical Film, Best Soundtrack with WTTF
• 2024 Folk Music Ontario–Performing Artist of the Year nominee
• 2024 Burlington Performing Arts Centre Hall of Fame
• 2024 Merilaïnen Music Awards–Indigenous Ally of the Year
• 2023 International Songwriting Competition–Finalist with Black Winged Raven, The Rez, and Nîmihito
• 2023 Canadian Folk Music Awards-Global Roots Album of the Year with Sanctuary
• 2023 Canadian Folk Music Awards-Producer of the Yearwith Sanctuary
• 2023 Canadian Folk Music Awards-nominated Pushing the Boundaries & Contemporary Album
• 2022 Dr. Duke Redbird Lifetime Achievement Award–JAYU Arts For Human Rights
• 2022 Folk Music Ontario–Song of the Year winner-Mi Santuario
• 2022 Folk Music Ontario–Nominated for Performer of the Year
• 2022 Cannes World Film Festival–Best Musical Film with Refuge
• 2022 Burlington’s Best Local Musician/Band
• 2021 Canadian Folk Music Awards-Producer of the Year with Refuge
• 2021 Canadian Folk Music Awards nominee for Ensemble of the Year with Refuge
• 2021 Canadian Independent Music Association-Pivot Award
• 2021 Markham Performing Arts Awards-Professional Artist of the Year
• 2021 International Songwriting Competition–World Music–Mi Santuario
• 2020 Folk Music Ontario-Songwriting Award–Instrumental-“Refuge”
• 2020 Folk Music Ontario-Songwriting Award–Political-“I Am a Refugee”
• 2020 Independent Music Awards-Instrumental Song of the Year-The Grand Bazaar
• 2020 Independent Music Awards-World Music Producer of the Year–Refuge