The Canadian Folk Music Awards take place in Vancouver, BC, from March 31 to April 2, with two awards shows and three showcases.
On April 1, from 3:00-5:00 pm PDT, there will be a Film/Visual Album Screening of Sultans of String: The Refuge Project at St James Community Square. Tickets are $12 (all fees included). Get tickets here.
The film includes songs from their album Refuge and Sanctuary, nominated for four 2023 Canadian Folk Music Awards; Contemporary, Global Roots, Pushing the Boundaries, and Producer of the Year.
The film is 95 minutes long, and the screening will be followed by a chat with Chris McKhool. Read more about the project here.
Sultans of String are nominated for four awards at the CFMAs, Contemporary Album of the Year, Global Roots Album of the Year, Producer(s) of the Year, and Oliver Schroer Pushing the Boundaries Award.
Watch the trailer below and learn more about Sultans of String via our mini-interview.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi, I am Chris McKhool, producer and violinist in Sultans of String. Our music draws inspiration from my Lebanese heritage, as well as Spanish flamenco, Cuban rhythms, Django-Jazz, Celtic and South Asian music. Many of our songs are instrumental, but each song tells a tale, and we love sharing stories about the incredible people we meet and special places in Canada, on the East Coast, West Coast, the Arctic, and everything in between.
Tell us a bit about your newest release.
With our album Sanctuary, we were really blessed to work with over 25 incredible artists from around the globe, many that have come here to Canada as new immigrants and refugees, as well as essential indigenous voices. Ahmed Moneka from Iraq, Amchok Gompo from Tibet, Juan Carlos Medrano from Colombia, Leen Hamo from Syria and many more to have come to Canada to escape persecution and war. We’re so grateful for the gifts that these new Canadians bring to our musical community and our discourse. We learn so much from these diverse voices, and each one of them is so personally inspiring. As Ahmed says, “Love is the main reason for a great future”
You have garnered four nominees at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. What was your reaction when you found out?
Totally astonished, and really super grateful, and very happy that the CFMAs can shine more light on these artists that we are working with!
On April 1, there will be a screening of Sultans of String: The Refuge Project – Visual Album. What can you tell us about this event?
This is really exciting, a Vancouver premiere screening of our feature-length music doc. We get to hear firsthand from all the artists involved in the film, as well as the music that we created together. It is an opportunity to celebrate the successes of those who make the journey here and bring their extraordinary talents with them. Each one of us has a remarkable story to tell, and we are excited to share the beauty of these collaborations with you. Co-producer John ‘Beetle’ Bailey and I will have a short Q&A session after the film, hosted by Michael Tymchuk, who was a reporter and host on CBC Victoria for many years.
Do you have any other upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
We are on tour in the US through April, still making up for gigs that were cancelled during the pandemic, and then are going to be screening the film throughout Ontario in June which we are super excited about, probably showing it in Ottawa, Toronto, Burlington, Kitchener, Hamilton, and St Catharines. We are trying to pair with immigrant NGOs in each community to help newcomers feel supported and connected here in their new home.
Then we have a bunch of summer concerts coming up including Hillside in Guelph, and Home County in London. Really looking forward to seeing everyone on the road!
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