They've been pegged as "The World in One Band", Canadian "Musical Royalty", and Canada's "Ambassadors of Musical Diversity". The Sultans of Swing have, indeed, earned those titles, by leaving no musical genre untouched in their performances around the world. The group's frontman is Chris McKhool, whose stunning violin skills are infused with the rich musical influences of his Lebanese and Egyptian ancestry. The trio is completed with Kevin Laliberté on guitar and Drew Birston on bass. They've amassed an impressive collection of awards in the past four years, including Best Instrumental Band, Best Latin Jazz Group and Best Variety Act. Their album Luna hit #1 across Canada on the International and World/Folk charts. Just last year, they were nominated as Best Instrumental Band and Best Ensemble in the Canadian Folk Music Awards, and McKhool received a Juno nomination for his FiddleFire children's album. Their self-described world-jazz-flamenco blend has been described by audiences as groundbreaking, infectious, brilliant, virtuoso and stunning. In an introduction full of synonyms, we are thrilled, delighted and trembling with anticipation of what will certainly be a fantastic (and sold out) performance!






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"Once in a lifetime, you hear a voice so blue it makes the angels weep. That voice is Rita Chiarelli." An original songwriter and vocalist with a three-octave range, Rita Chiarelli has been called "the goddess of Canadian blues". She's a gifted storyteller with a great sense of humour and powerful stage presence -- all skills she's had many years to perfect. Rita began her musical career at the young age of fifteen. Beyond the blues arena, Chiarelli's sound reflects a blending of influences. Her songs shimmer with blues based rock undertones, jazz riffs, Cajun and country tinged melodies blended with a folk-roots flavour. She has a Juno win and four nominations under her belt, plus several Maple Blues awards, Canadian Folk Music awards and Toronto Independent Music awards. Her 2008 album "Uptown Goes Downtown", which was recorded with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, has been described as "the lushest-sounding set of blues ever recorded in Canada." Rita has been touring for decades, blowing away audiences with her finely crafted, beautifully poetic original lyrics, as well as her encyclopedic knowledge of popular blues and folk tunes. We're excited to bring this Northern diva to Hilton Beach for what will certainly be a moving and sold out performance!





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Michael Kaeshammer is what you would call a triple-threat. He's a piano virtuoso with smooth, warm vocals, and charisma to spare. A piano-playing jazz prodigy as a teenager, Kaeshammer has matured into a singer and songwriter of real skill and creative imagination. His diversity and range become obvious in his performances, when he'll go from cool jazz crooner to grizzled boogie-woogie pianist, sometimes within the same song. Kaeshammer's style can be described as a brilliant and original jazz-meets-pop musical gumbo, which of course can also be used to describe the sound of New Orleans -- the source of much of his inspiration. He spent a year living in his musical mecca, and he cherishes the nods of approval he received from such Big Easy legends as Art Neville, Allen Toussaint, and the late Eddie Bo. Kaeshammer has received Juno Award nominations for three of his albums: No Strings Attached, Strut, and Days Like These. He was named Musician of the Year and Performer of the Year at the 2002 West Coast Music Awards. And, of course, he played to a sold-out audience at the Old Town Hall Concert Series of 2004. For our repeat audience members, it will be an opportunity to see how this jazz prodigy's talents have developed in the past six years. For those who missed his last performance, this is a chance to finally see one of Canada's finest jazz talents perform! Get your tickets now -- it's going to be another sell-out show!

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Past Performers