3x JUNO nominees and SiriusXM winners Sultans of String create, “Energetic and exciting music from a band with talent to burn!” (Maverick Magazine UK). Thrilling their audiences with their genre-hopping passport of Celtic reels, flamenco, Gypsy-jazz, Arabic, Cuban, and South Asian rhythms, Sultans of String celebrate musical fusion and human creativity with warmth and virtuosity. Fiery violin dances with rumba-flamenco guitar, while bass and percussion lay 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.
Since releasing their debut album Luna in 2007, Sultans of String have continually strived to make each chart-topping album more original and meaningful than the last. That includes working with an orchestra (2013's Symphony), teaming with Pakistani sitarist Anwar Khurshid (2015's Subcontinental Drift) and even crafting a world-music holiday album (2017's Christmas Caravan), which landed them on the Billboard and New York Times charts. Their ambition and work ethic have garnered them multiple awards and accolades, including three JUNO nominations, first place in the International Songwriting Competition (out of 15,000 entries), three Canadian Folk Music Awards and countless other honours, plus a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal (for bandleader Chris McKhool). Their 2020 release Refuge garnered many awards including two Independent Music Awards for Instrumental Song of the Year and World Music Producer of the Year, two songwriting awards from Folk Music Ontario, as well as the 2021 CFMA for Producer of the Year for Chris McKhool and John Bailey.
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 in-the-pocket bass master Drew Birston (Chantal Kreviazuk).
Their live resume is similarly stellar. 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 (Toronto’s Carnegie Hall) and 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.
• 2021 Canadian Folk Music Awards winner for 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
• 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
• 2019 International Songwriting Competition- Folk semi-finals – “Power of the Land”
• 2019 International Songwriting Competition- Performance semi-finals – “Power of the Land”
• 2018 Canadian Folk Music Awards– Producer of the Year nomination for McKhool
• 2017 New York Times Hits List
• 2017 Billboard World Music Charts – Christmas Caravan CD hits #6
• 2017 Canadian Nielsen World Music Charts – Christmas Caravan CD hits #3
• 2017 Folk Music Ontario- Songwriting Award – World - "Sing for Kwanzaa"
• 2017 Folk Music Ontario- Songwriting Award – Instrumental - “Road to Kfarmishki”
• 2017 ISC International Songwriting Competition- World category - "Sing for Kwanzaa"
• 2017 JUNO Award Nominees for "World Music Album of the Year" – Subcontinental Drift
• 2017 Billboard World Music Charts - Subcontinental Drift CD hits #15
• 2016 Canadian Folk Music Awards– World Music Group of the Year
• 2016 Global Music Awards– World Music / Beats – “Ho Jamalo”
• 2016 Indie Acoustic Award – Best World Music Album – Subcontinental Drift
• 2015 International Songwriting Competition (ISC) – Subcontinental Drift
• 2015 JUNO Award Nominees for "Instrumental Album of the Year" – Symphony!
• 2015 Toronto Independent Music Award - World Music