$15/10/5 in advance

https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4065707
$17/12/5 at the door the day of the show.
3x JUNO (Canada’s Grammy) nominees and Billboard charting Sultans of String are set to raise the rafters with their globetrotting tunes and fundraising show at the Strand Theater, Thurs March 7, 2019, 7pm.  Sultans of String are fundraising partners with UNHCR, the United Nations Agency for Refugees. They are the world’s leading organization aiding and protecting people forced to flee their homes due to violence, conflict and persecution. Donations can be made at https://fundraise.unhcr.ca/sultansofstring

“It’s a particular time in history right now. There are more displaced people than at any other time in recorded history. Our band writes songs about freedom and equality, and our hope of creating a better world, and being a world music band, we see first-hand the contributions of refugees and immigrants to North America and around the world. We have been privileged to perform and record with some of them.”, said bandleader Chris McKhool whose paternal grandfather came to Canada from Lebanon. Thrilling audiences with their genre-hopping passport of Celtic reels, Gypsy-jazz, Arabic and Cuban 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. Since forming 10 years ago, Sultans of String have hit #1 across Canada on Top 10 national radio charts, and received multiple awards and accolades, including 1st place in the ISC (out of 15,000 entries), 3 Canadian Folk Music Awards, plus invitations to perform/record with such luminaries as The Chieftains, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and Ruben Blades.

Bandleader/violinist Chris McKhool (Jesse Cook, Pavlo), a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal recipient, has an Egyptian-born mother who happened to play 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 he 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) and the jaw-dropping beats of percussionist Chendy Leon (Alex Cuba).
The band’s US manager and acclaimed promoter Dave Wilkes (Bela Fleck, Emmylou Harris) 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 McKhool and Laliberté from Sultans of String. Not only are they a superb writing team, they are also amazing arrangers and performers”.

Sultans of String have been criss-crossing North America for the last several years at many taste-making forums such as NYC’s legendary Birdland and the Lincoln Center, Boston’s Scullers and California’s hip music scene. 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 and Maryland’s Annapolis Symphony. Sultans of String were filmed by MPBN’s Maine Arts! in a feature concert, and have performed live on BBC TV, BBC Radio, Irish National Radio, and the internationally syndicated shows WoodSongs, World Cafe, and on SiriusXM in Washington.

 CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
• 2018 Canadian Folk Music Awards nominees – Producer of the Year
• 2017 Billboard World Music Charts  -- # 6 w/ Christmas Caravan• 2017 JUNO nominees – World Music Album of the Year • 2017 New York Times Christmas Hits List• 2017 Billboard World Music Charts  -- # 15 w/ Subcontinental Drift • 2016 Canada’s High Commission in London UK presents SOS at Trafalgar Square • 2016 Canadian Folk Music Awards winners– World Music Group of the Year • 2016 Global Music Awards– World Music / Beats • 2016 ISC – Honorable Mention • 2015 JUNO nominees – Instrumental Album of the Year    • 2015 TIMA winners – Best World Album• 2014 SiriusXM Independent Music Awards Winner- World Group of the Year  • 2014 IMA Independent Music Award Winner – Instrumental • 2013 ISC  International Songwriting Competition Winner- Instrumental • 2013 Festivals & Events- Performer of The Year • 2013 Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for bandleader Chris McKhool • 2012 Canadian Folk Music Awards winners– World Music Group of the Year • 2012 Festivals & Events- Entertainer of The Year • 2011 International Acoustic Music Awards Finalist – Instrumental • 2011 Independent Music Award 2x Finalist – Instrumental & World Beat Album • 2011 ISC International Songwriting Competition 2x Finalist-  Instrumental & World Music • 2010 JUNO Award Nominees -  "Instrumental Album of the Year" • 2010 Canadian Independent Music Awards nominees- Favorite World Group • 2009 International Songwriting Competition (ISC) First Place - Instrumental • 2009 Canadian Folk Music Award triple nominee winning Instrumental Group of the Year (also nominated for Ensemble of the Year and Pushing the Boundaries) • 2008 International Songwriting Competition Winner (ISC) - Instrumental