3x JUNO nominees and Billboard chart-toppers Sultans of String and the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Denis Mastromonaco are kicking off the New Year with a World Premiere of REFUGE. This powerful production is unlike any other and brings the magic of collaboration to the stage with award-winning artists who are new immigrants, refugees, and global talents who are ambassadors for peace.
This live concert will showcase the incredible music and storytelling of many of their collaborators featured in their Cannes World Film Festival award–winning The Refuge Project. Tickets are available now here.
“We are so excited to be able to present our collaborations that showcase and amplify essential voices” says bandleader/producer and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient Chris McKhool.
“We feel so fortunate to be able to grow as human beings and as artists through these collaborations. We keep exploring and learning our whole lives, and sharing these songs with the MSO is really exciting!”
In addition to winning Best Music Film at Cannes World Film Festival, the film version of Refuge has also won at the Vancouver Independent Film Festival and Boston Independent Film Awards, with the CD of the music winning the Canadian Folk Music Awards for Global Roots Album of the Year, and Producer of the Year.
This ambitious, diverse, inclusive, and passionately political concert puts this global grooves supergroup face-to-face with a VIP roster of global ‘ambassadors,’ many of whom are recent immigrants and refugees to Canada. All bring their unique brand of musical synergy and collaboration to bear on discussion and songs that speak to the challenges facing the world’s displaced peoples—their stories, their songs, their persistence and their humanity. The international cast of special guests and ambassadors for peace feature stellar performances from Leen Hamo and Majd Sukar from Syria, Donné Roberts from Madagascar, Romani Nyckelharpa player Saskia Tomkins, Persian tar player Padideh Ahrarnejad, flamenco artist Tamar Ilana and more.
Bandleader Chris McKhool (Makhoul in Lebanon) 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 McKhool first heard founding guitarist Kevin Laliberté’s 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, and the jaw-dropping beats of percussionist Chendy Leon.
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 Annapolis, Toronto, Vancouver, 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, Ruben Blades, Yasmin Levy, Benoit Bourque, Béla Fleck, Crystal Shawanda & Ken Whiteley.
