SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2026 @ 7:30PM

PURCHASE SUBSCRIPTIONS & INDIVIDUAL TICKETS HERE.

Sultans of String, the multi-award-winning, 5-time Juno-nominated band thrills audiences with their genre-hopping passport of Celtic reels, Flamenco, Django-jazz, Arabic, Cuban and South Asian rhythms. Sultans of String join us in October along with their special guest singer-songwriter Shannon Thunderbird, a Ts’msyen Elder originally from the Pacific Northwest coast of British Columbia. Together they celebrate musical fusion and human creativity with world rhythms that bring audiences to their feet!

VENUE NOTE: There’s a possibility this show will also be moved to the Deep River Community Church if the seating renovation at Bernard Childs Auditorium isn’t complete. We’re planning to have the show at Bernard Childs Auditorium, but will confirm the venue with all ticket holders closer to the show date.

“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

Led by Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient and fiddler Chris McKhool, Sultans of String 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 they tell stories of Canada/Turtle Island through live music, such as the wild horses of Sable Island, Luna the orca off the West coast, a sunrise in the Arctic Circle’s Auyuittuq Park and more!

McKhool (Jesse Cook, Pavlo) comes by global roots music through deep ties to his ancestry – his father’s name would have been pronounced Makhoul in ancestral Kfirmishki Lebanon, and his Cairo-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 in-the-pocket bass master Drew Birston (Chantal Kreviazuk), virtuosic nyckelharpa playing of Saskia Tomkins (Celtic music consultant for the Broadway hit Come From Away), and Coast Tsm’syen Singer-Songwriter Shannon Thunderbird.

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.

You can learn more about Sultans of String here: sultansofstring.com.