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Hey it’s Release Day for the full album LITTLE LEAF🍁, celebrating my 30th Anniversary of recording and touring for children and families!!

The greatest honour of my professional life has been to entertain young audiences, while helping make connections to our natural world. Every bug, leaf, and rock can spark curiosity and ultimately help young people grow into responsible and caring citizens who will help protect our precious planet. 🐞

Stream it at the link in my bio!

Today’s focus track, “Miracle in My Backyard”, is written by legendary Canadian entertainer Bing Jensen. A garden’s magic comes from a combination of natural beauty, the wonder of growth and transformation, and human creativity that fosters a sense of peace, purpose, and connection. The process of tending plants connects us to the earth’s cycles, and brings our community together in shared purpose and experience.

The other songs on LITTLE LEAF also speak to how all living beings around us are part of our community, including “Plant a Tree!”, “A Place in the Choir”, “Walk and Roll”, as well as the title track and “Cosmic Storm”, both of which feature the poetry of long-time collaborator, Ojibway Elder Duke Redbird @elderoftheglobalvillage

This album features musicians from my bandmates in the 3x JUNO nominated, 6x CFMA winning global groove band Sultans of String, along with gorgeous backing vocals by singer-to-the-stars Rebecca Campbell, and a children’s chorus.

➡️Produced by Chris McKhool @kevinlalibertemusic @johnbeetlebailey
➡️Tracking: Nik Tjelios
➡️Mastering: Harry Hess
➡️Video: @micahsky
➡️Assistant Camera: Nora Quigley
➡️Artwork: Kurt Firla @kurtarooni
➡️Guitar: Kevin Laliberte
➡️Bass: @drewbirston
➡️Fiddle: @saskia_tomkins
➡️Sax: Doug Banwell
➡️Trumpet: Kevin Turcotte
➡️Drums: @marito_marques

With special thanks to:
➡️Film Location: @stratamontessori & @lisasavardquong
➡️Promo team: Christine Bode, @bodaciouscopy Lisa Weitz, @thatericalper
➡️Mics: Eric Warren and @shure
➡️Guitars: Steve Peconi and @yamahamusicglobal
➡️Distribution: @christinebuchanan16 & @natpop69 at @fontananorth
➡️ @ontarioartscouncil for their support!

🎥NEW VIDEO ALERT! Streaming on all platforms 🙂
I am so excited to release the first title track single and video from my new family album shot in Algonquin Park! Watch all the way through to see our friends and families joining in!
🎶Come see this live this fall at @burlington_pac!
🍃Inspired by @elderoftheglobalvillage Duke Redbird, with lyrics are based on conversations with Duke, and pulled from his poems ‘Little Leaf’ and ‘Sparrow’, which I really love. The lyrics speak to how all living beings around us are part of our community. You can pick up a leaf, and name it – when you name the plants and the animals around you, they become personal, and you see them as part of your circle.
Includes KevinLaliberte, @drewbirston @saskia_tomkins from @sultansofstring with @marito_marques, RebeccaCampbell and more!

#kidsmusic #familymusic #burlingtonperformingartscentre #fontananorth #cityofburlington #environment #chrismckhool #fiddle #algonquinpark

NEW VIDEO ALERT!! A PLACE IN THE CHOIR. In today’s fractured world, where everyone is living in their silos, diversity can seem like a challenge, but it is actually the very source of strength and joy in society 🙂. Filmed at #DeMazenodFarm. Lemme know what you think of this song!

Featuring banjo by Chris Coole and the regular suspects... Kevin Laliberte, Drew Birston, Saskia Tomkins, Marito Marques, audio by John Bailey, and video by Micah Sky.

@coole.chris @drewbirston @saskia_tomkins @johnbeetlebailey @marito_marques @micahsky

Written by the wonderful composer, the late Bill Staines. Thanks, Bill, for this gift 🙂

Thanks to the @ontarioartscouncil and @fontananorth for their support, bringing this music into the world!

@kdymkowski @christinebuchanan16 @thatericalper

#chrismckhool #aplaceinthechoir #littleleaf #newmusicvideo #newsinglealert #canadianfolkmusic #kidsmusic #childrensmusic #familymusic #musicforkidsandfamily #banjomusic #musicforkids #familymusic #folkmusician

Northern Ontario is amazing! 🤩

Hello friends! Every day I live in this fabulous country I fall more and more in love with it. The natural beauty of Northern Ontario is what stole my heart over the last few weeks as we performed for kids and adults, and also showed our feature film. Here are a few photos from our tour, and we hope to see you soon on our summer tour, with some dates for events in Toronto, Burlington, Ottawa, Orillia, Aurora, Kleinburg, Ajax and beyond on www.sultansofsttring.com/calendar.

Thanks to Ontario Presents @ontariopresents and Canada Council for the Arts @canada.council for their tour support!

@kevinlalibertemusic @saskia_tomkins @sultansofstring

Hey Ottawa! Kevin Laliberte @kevinlalibertemusic and Chris McKhool @mckhool are looking forward to returning to Chris’s hometown for a duo performance on Sunday, May 31st, at 7:00 p.m. at 176 Cameron Avenue—part of a cool new series at the Ottawa Tennis Club!

Tickets are available here: https://ottawaconcerts.ca

With 7 CFMA wins, 3 JUNO nominations PLUS a 2026 CFMA nomination for Single of the Year,Sultans of String perform a genre-hopping concert that traverses Folk, Django-jazz, Flamenco, Arabic, Middle Eastern and Cuban rhythms.

Fiery fiddle dances with kinetic guitar, laying down unstoppable grooves and painting soundscapes that seem impossible to be coming from just two people.

The Sultans have gigged at JUNOfest and the legendary Birdland in New York City. They have sold out Koerner Hall three times and performed with the Annapolis, Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton Symphony Orchestras.

@ottawatennisclub @folk_canada @ottawamic @ottawagrassrootsfestival

Thanks to @gaelynscarlett for teaching me this song WON'T YOU BUY ME A PONY! Available now at fiddlefire-dot-com and all streaming services ;)

Featuring @saskia_tomkins strings & nyckelharpa @kevinlaliberte guitar, @drewbirston bass, @marito_marques drums

Orillia! On Wednesday, May 20, 2026, we’re honoured to bring our Cannes World Film Festival Award-winning feature film, Walking Through the Fire, to Creative Nomad Studios for Gathering: Festival of First Nation Stories. The screening is at 6:30 p.m.

Songs and Stories by Elder Jeff Monague, followed by opening remarks and post-film Q&A with filmmaker/Sultans of String producer Chris McKhool, Shannon Thunderbird, and Kate Dickson.

Tickets are $15 / cash at the door. Get them in advance here: https://www.artsorillia.ca/event-details/walking-through-the-fire

@northsimcoelife @artsorillia @canada.council @ontarioartscouncil @mckhool

#orilliaontario #gatheringfestival #walkingthroughthefire

We are so excited to welcome Chris McKhool and Elder Shannon Thunderbird to our community to share their work - Walking Through the Fire - A Visual Album. Screening of the film will take place May 20th at Creative Nomad studios. Doors open at 6:30. Get your tickets on our website: https://www.artsorillia.ca/event-details/walking-through-the-fire

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Shannon Thunderbird is an Elder of the Giluts’aaw tribe, Royal House of Niis’gumiik, Gispwudwada (Orca) Clan. She is a celebrated, international Speaker/Educator/Storyteller who introduces audiences to the history, culture, and spirituality of Canada’s Indigenous People. She is also a Singer/Songwriter, Recording Artist, Actor, Writer and Painter.

Chris McKhool is a Canadian violinist, guitarist, composer, producer, filmmaker, and educator. As the leader and producer of the Canadian band Sultans of String, McKhool has built a career centred on fusing folk, jazz, and global musical traditions including Arabic and Flamenco styles.

I’m looking forward to bringing my interactive Earth, Seas & Air family music show to Sioux Lookout this Thursday! I’ll be playing some songs from my new, JUNO-nominated album, Little Leaf. 🍃

Many thanks to Kids Kaleidoscope Entertainment Series - Sioux Lookout for presenting! Get ready to learn and make music at the same time! 🎻🎶

#siouxlookout #siouxlookoutontario #familymusic

#sultansofstring #afmlocal1000 #nyckelharpa #masconline #americannyckelharpaassociation

On Friday May 1st, Dryden Youth Entertainment Series presents my Earth, Seas & Air family show at The Centre in Dryden! We’ll be playing songs from my JUNO-nominated album, Little Leaf, too! Come one, come all, Dryden families, and bring your dancing shoes! We’re going to have so much fun! 👟🎶🎻🍃

Get your tickets at the link 🎟️
https://events.leapevents.com/event/dyes-presents-chris-mckhool-earth-sea-air

@drydenyouthentertainmentseries

#chrismckhool #familyconcert #drydenontario

Thank you, @pujapuspa.g for these fun photos from my Earth, Seas & Air show at the Classic Theatre in Cobalt, presented by @piedpiperkidshows !

#childrensmusic #familymusic #cobaltontario

Thank you, @pujapuspa.g for these fun photos from my Earth, Seas & Air show at the Classic Theatre in Cobalt, presented by @piedpiperkidshows !

#childrensmusic #familymusic #cobaltontario

Thank you, @pujapuspa.g for these fun photos from my Earth, Seas & Air show at the Classic Theatre in Cobalt, presented by @piedpiperkidshows !

#childrensmusic #familymusic #cobaltontario

Thank you, @pujapuspa.g for these fun photos from my Earth, Seas & Air show at the Classic Theatre in Cobalt, presented by @piedpiperkidshows !

#childrensmusic #familymusic #cobaltontario