August 28, 2024 – 7:30-8:30pm
MacEwan Barn – Riverwood Conservancy
Virtuoso clarinetist, Majd Sukar joins us for the finale concert of our summer season with a fresh new project – Sham Blues!
Majd Sukar is a Syrian Canadian Clarinetist, Saxophonist, Composer, and Educator whose name has been distinguished in Toronto’s music scene for his fusion music and unique sound. His style blends Middle Eastern folk and classical music with jazz music in unparalleled practice.
Sukar brings his music to the Canadian scene as a soloist and improviser. He performed with big Canadian-name musicians like Robi Botos, Drew Jurecka, Andrew Downing, Rich Brown, and the Indian indigenous singer Laura Grizzlypaws. His hard work and passion made his music noticeable quickly, pushing him to join many Torontonian bands like Sultans of Strings, Romani Jazz, Moskitto Bar, and Moneka Arabic Jazz. Moreover, Majd has appeared as a master improviser with the Canadian Arabic Orchestra since 2016 as Principal clarinetist. He toured Canada ocean to ocean, the USA, and Europe, and The Middle East carrying his unique sound from his roots to the new world. He shared the stage with veteran Middle Eastern Artists like Naseer Shamma, Charbel Rouhana, Elham Madfai, and Iranian Legend Aref Arefkia. He also shared the stage with International world-class musicians like Jorge Pardo, Antonio Serrano, and Adam Rudolph.
Academically speaking Majd holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in addition to his Graduate Certificate in Jazz Music from Humber College (2018). On top of that, Majd was invited to give masterclasses and workshops at the University of Toronto and York University about Middle Eastern music theories and extended techniques of using the clarinet microtones skills in improvising. After he graduated from Humber College, Majd joined the fusion jazz club by starting a band called “Sham Blues”. This jazz-influenced fusion and folk music band left a serious fingerprint in rearranging Middle Eastern music on jazz harmony and pop rhythms, later in 2022 this band performed his original music at Koerner Hall which is known as one of the finest stages in North America. In 2020, Sukar was chosen to receive the RBC Newcomer Arts Award which was presented by the RBC Foundation and Toronto Arts Foundation and administrated by the neighborhood arts network.
Majd is a member of the Toronto Musician Association (TMA) and the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA). He is considered one of the inspirational Clarinet Players in the Middle East and that is what makes Jabrin Musical Services name their professional model of Jabrin Clarinets after him (MS) as appreciation for his efforts to spread the sound of Middle Eastern clarinet in the Canadian Music scene.