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Canada
Bookings, management
Lisa Weitz / LW Communications
+1 (416) 624-3466 / +1 (416) 846-6877 mobile
lw@lwcommunications.ca
Publicity
Eric Alper
+1 (647) 971-3742
eric@thatericalper.com
thatericalper.com
USA
Bookings
Kevin Peters – GL Berg Entertainment
+ 1 (612) 361-6002 ext. 12 / kevin@glberg.com
Management
Dave Wilkes
+1 (973) 492-0064
wilkesongs@gmail.com
Radio
Max Horowitz / Crossover Media
UK
Will McCarthy Productions
http://willmccarthy.com
Poland, Germany
Ilona Sadowska
+48 536 707 717
ilona.artepromotion@gmail.com
artepromotion.pl
Netherlands
Paperclip Agency
+31 24 323 9322
info@paperclip.agency
For young audiences
Public Chris McKhool Young Audience Concerts
chris@fiddlefire.com / fiddlefire.com
GTA schools: Prologue to the Performing Arts
416-591-9092 / info@prologue.org
Ottawa-area schools: MASC
(613) 725-9119 x227 / reservations@masconline.ca
Posters, photos
Please contact us to obtain the latest promotional posters and photos for your venue or event.
Stageplots
Download the appropriate tech info.
Biography and program text
Download the band biography or cut and paste from the selections below. Please let us know if you need text that is custom-tailored to your venue or event.
50 words
2015 JUNO nom/SiriusXM winners Sultans of String create “Energetic and exciting music from a band with talent to burn!” (Maverick Magazine, UK). Thrilling audiences with their genre-hopping passport of Celtic reels, flamenco, Gypsy-jazz, Arabic, Cuban, and South Asian rhythms, fiery violin dances with kinetic guitar, while bass and percussion lay down unstoppable grooves.
100 words
Sultans of String create “Energetic and exciting music from a band with talent to burn!” (Maverick Magazine, UK). Thrilling audiences with their genre-hopping passport of Celtic reels, flamenco, Gypsy-jazz, Arabic, Cuban, and South Asian rhythms, fiery violin dances with kinetic guitar, while bass and percussion lay down unstoppable grooves. Since forming 8 years ago, Sultans of String have hit #1 across Canada on Top 10 national radio charts, and received multiple awards and accolades, including 2 JUNO (Canada’s Grammy) nominations, 1st place in the ISC (15,000 entries), 2 Canadian Folk Music Awards, plus invitations to perform/record with such luminaries as The Chieftains, David Bromberg, and Alex Cuba.
160 words
2015 JUNO (Canada’s Grammy) nominees and SiriusXM winners Sultans of String create “Energetic and exciting music from a band with talent to burn!” (Maverick Magazine, UK). Thrilling audiences with their genre-hopping passport of Celtic reels, flamenco, Gypsy-jazz, Arabic, Cuban, and South Asian rhythms, fiery violin dances with kinetic guitar, while bass and percussion lay down unstoppable grooves. Throughout, acoustic strings meet with electronic wizardry to create layers and depth of sound.
Their new release, Subcontinental Drift, serves up a blend of ragas, reels and rumbas with sitar master Anwar Khurshid (featured in the Oscar winning Life of Pi, The Love Guru).
Since forming 8 years ago, Sultans of String have hit #1 across Canada on Top 10 national radio charts, and received multiple awards and accolades, including 2 JUNO nominations, 1st place in the ISC (out of 15,000 entries), 2 Canadian Folk Music Awards, plus invitations to perform and record with such luminaries as The Chieftains, David Bromberg, and Alex Cuba.
350 words
2015 JUNO (Canada’s Grammy) nominees and SiriusXM winners Sultans of String create “Energetic and exciting music from a band with talent to burn!” (Maverick Magazine UK). Thrilling audiences with their genre-hopping passport of Celtic reels, flamenco, Gypsy-jazz, Arabic, Cuban, and South Asian rhythms, fiery violin dances with kinetic guitar, while bass and percussion lay down unstoppable grooves. Throughout, acoustic strings meet with electronic wizardry to create layers and depth of sound. With their new release, Subcontinental Drift, they serve up a blend of ragas, reels and rumbas with sitar master Anwar Khurshid (featured in the Oscar winning Life of Pi, Kama Sutra, and Love Guru). Fusing the virtuosic talent of Anwar Khurshid adds to their truly global and mesmerizing sound!”
Since forming 8 years ago, Sultans of String’s CDs have hit #1 across Canada on Top 10 national radio charts, and received multiple awards and accolades, including 2 JUNOs nominations, 1st place in the ISC (out of 15,000 entries), 2 Canadian Folk Music Awards, plus invitations to perform/record with such luminaries as The Chieftains and David Bromberg, and Alex Cuba.
Bandleader Chris McKhool (Jesse Cook, Pavlo), who was awarded a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, grew up in a Lebanese-Egyptian (Makhoul) house bursting with music and diversity. Growing up, he was fed a steady diet of delicious musicality alongside Middle Eastern cuisine and violin lessons.
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 bass master Drew Birston (Chantal Kreviazuk), jaw-dropping Cuban percussionist Rosendo Chendy Leon (Alex Cuba, Parachute Club), guitarist Eddie Paton (Robert Michaels), as well as special guests such as Dala and Rebecca Campbell.
Sultans of String have been criss-crossing North America for the last several years at many taste-making forums such as JUNOFest, legendary jazz club Birdland in NYC, the renowned Celtic Connections Festival in the UK, US syndicated radio, and their sold-out show at Koerner Hall (Toronto’s Carnegie Hall).
Full bio
2015 JUNO (Canada’s Grammy) nominees and SiriusXM winners Sultans of String create “Energetic and exciting music from a band with talent to burn!” (Maverick Magazine UK). Thrilling 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 forming 8 years ago, Sultans of String’s CDs have hit #1 across Canada on Top Ten national radio charts, and have received multiple awards and accolades, including 2 JUNO nominations, 1st place in the ISC (out of 15,000 entries), 2 Canadian Folk Music Awards, plus electrifying performances on stage and in recording with special guest artists including Paddy Moloney and The Chieftains, David Bromberg, Alex Cuba, and Ken Whiteley.
With their new release, Subcontinental Drift, they serve up a blend of ragas, reels and rumbas with special guest, sitar master Anwar Khurshid (featured in the Oscar winning Life of Pi, Kama Sutra, and Love Guru). Sultans of String are particularly excited about this new, east-meets-west offering with Khurshid. “There is something magical about joining the world music rhythms we play, but with pop sensibilities and forms and lengths, and blending that with the music of the East”, says bandleader and violinist Chris McKhool. Indeed, while the album treks across all kinds of musical terrain, the fertile soil beneath each track is fed by hope unhindered and freedom found. “One of the songs we wrote together, “Journey to Freedom”, beautifully traces Anwar’s journey from Pakistan to Canada, finding his new home there.
McKhool (who has performed with Jesse Cook and Pavlo), was awarded a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his work in creating community through music. He grew up in a Lebanese-Egyptian (Makhoul) house bursting with music and diversity. Growing up, he was fed a steady diet of delicious musicality alongside Middle Eastern cuisine and violin lessons.
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 bass master Drew Birston (Chantal Kreviazuk), jaw-dropping Cuban percussionist Rosendo Chendy Leon (who’s played with hit-makers Parachute Club), and guitarist Eddie Paton (who had worked with flamenco star Robert Michaels), as well as special guests such as Dala, Rebecca Campbell, oud player Bassam Bishara, and more!
The band’s US manager and acclaimed promoter David Wilkes (Bela Fleck, Emmylou Harris, Joan Baez) states, “Over the decades, I’ve worked with numerous top ten and #1 Billboard artists. In all that time, I have not worked with composers more talented than Chris McKhool and Kevin Laliberté from Sultans of String. Not only are they a superb writing team, they are also amazing arrangers & musicians. Fusing the virtuosic talent of Anwar Khurshid adds to their truly global and mesmerizing sound!”
Sultans of String have been criss-crossing North America for the last several years. Equally at home in a concert series, folk or jazz club, or festival setting, they have been featured at many taste-making forums such as JUNOFest, legendary jazz club Birdland in NYC, the renowned Celtic Connections Festival in the UK, and California’s hip music scene, including the San Jose Jazz Festival. They recently sold out Koerner Hall (Toronto’s Carnegie Hall), and performed with Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Stratford, Ontario and Niagara Symphony Orchestras, as well with Kingsfield POPS in Maine. Sultans of String also perform for Youth, and perform Pops, Christmas and Family/Education shows with symphonies. Sultans of String were recently filmed by MPBN’s Maine Arts! in a feature concert, and performed live on BBC TV, Irish National Radio, and the internationally syndicated shows WoodSongs, World Cafe, and on SiriusXM in Washington
Thanks and acknowledgments
Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and Toronto Arts Council for their support for us creating new works.
Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and Toronto Arts Council for recording support.
This project marketing is funded in part by FACTOR, the Government of Canada and Canada’s private radio broadcasters.
Ce projet est financé en partie par FACTOR, le gouvernement du Canada et les radiodiffuseurs privés du Canada.
Sultans of String loves Beach, Riverdale, and Roncesvalles Mac! riverdalemac.com
Kevin uses a Blackbird guitar.