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Biography
Infobox musical artist| name = Loreena McKennitt| image = LM-DG-1.jpg| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Loreena Isabel Irene McKennitt| alias =| Born = Birth date and age|1957|2|17|df=yes| birth_place = Morden, Manitoba|Morden , Manitoba , Canada | origin = Stratford, Ontario|Stratford , Ontario , Canada| instrument = Voice , piano , harp , accordion | genre = Celtic music|Celtic , World music|world , New Age music|New Age | occupation = Musician, songwriter, producer| years_active = 1985& ndash;present| label = Quinlan Road , Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros. , Verve Records|Verve Forecast / Universal Music Group|Universal | website = URL|quinlanroad.com Loreena Isabel Irene McKennitt , Order of Canada|CM , Order of Manitoba|OM , (born February 17, 1957) is a Canadian singer, composer, harpist, accordionist and pianist who writes, records and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern themes. McKennitt is known for her refined, clear soprano vocals.cite web|url= http://www.progreviews.com/reviews/display.php? rev=lm-tmam |title=Loreena McKennitt |publisher=Progreviews.com |date= |accessdate=2011-03-02 She has sold more than 14 million records worldwide.cite web|author=Alex |url= http://www.folkradio.co.uk/2010/12/loreena-mckennitt-releases-new-album/ |title=Folk Radio UK |publisher=Folkradio.co.uk |date=2010-12-13 |accessdate=2011-03-02
Early life
McKennitt was born in Morden, Manitoba of Ireland|Irish and Scotland|Scottish descent to parents Jack (died 1992; a livestock dealer) and Irene McKennitt (1931-2011; a nurse). She moved to Stratford, Ontario in 1981, where she still resides.
When Loreena was young she wanted to become a veterinarian but she found that music chose her rather than she it.cite web|url= http://quinlanroad.com/aboutus/lmintro.asp |title=About Us - Loreena McKinnett Introduces Herself |publisher=Quinlan Road |date= |accessdate=2011-03-02 Developing a passion for Celtic music, she learned to play the Celtic harp and began busking at various places, including St. Lawrence Market in Toronto in order to earn money to record her first album. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/59584224.html? dids=59584224:59584224& FMT=ABS& FMTS=ABS:FT& date=Nov+29%2C+1994& author=JIM+WASHBURN& pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)& desc=If+You+Must%2C+Label+Her+%60Enlightened'+Pop+music%3A+Loreena+McKennitt%2C+who+performs+in+Irvine+tonight%2C+sings+ethereal+material%2C+but+don't+pigeonhole+the+harpist+as+New+Age.& pqatl=google If You Must, Label Her 'Enlightened' Pop music: Loreena McKennitt, who performs in Irvine tonight, sings ethereal material, but don't pigeonhole the harpist as New Age.", L.A. Times , November 29, 1994
Career
McKennitt's first album, Elemental (Loreena McKennitt album)|Elemental , was released in 1985, followed by To Drive the Cold Winter Away (1987), Parallel Dreams (1989), The Visit (Loreena McKennitt album)|The Visit (1991), The Mask and Mirror (1994), A Winter Garden: Five Songs for the Season|A Winter Garden (1995), The Book of Secrets (1997), An Ancient Muse (2006), A Midwinter Nights Dream (2008), and The Wind That Shakes the Barley (album)|The Wind That Shakes The Barley (2010). All of her work is released under her own label, Quinlan Road .
In 1990, McKennitt provided the music for the National Film Board of Canada documentary, " The Burning Times " a feminist revisionist account of the Early Modern European witchcraft trials. The main theme would later be rerecorded by her and her band and called "Tango to Evora," a track which appears on her album, The Visit (album)|The Visit .
In 1993, she toured Europe supporting Mike Oldfield . In 1995, her version of the traditional Irish song " Bonny Portmore " was featured in the Highlander (TV series)|Highlander series. McKennitt's single " The Mummers' Dance " received airplay in North American markets during the spring of 1997, and was used as the theme song for the short-lived TV series, Legacy (TV series)|Legacy . It also saw use in the trailer for a wide-release 1998 Drew Barrymore film, Ever After . cite web|url= http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Hcj9fyx6DXI | title=Ever After Trailer
Her music appeared in the movies The Santa Clause , Soldier (film)|Soldier , Jade (film)|Jade , Holy Man (film)|Holy Man , The Mists of Avalon (TV miniseries)|The Mists of Avalon and Tinker Bell (film)|Tinkerbell ; and in the television series Roar (TV series)|Roar , Due South , and Full Circle (Women and Spirituality) .
Personal life
In 1998, McKennitt's fiancι Ronald Rees, his brother Richard and their close friend Gregory Cook drowned during a boating accident on Georgian Bay . She was deeply affected by the event and subsequently founded the Cook-Rees Memorial Fund for Water Search and Safety in the same year.
At the time of the incident, she was working on a live album of two performances called Live in Paris and Toronto . The proceeds from this album were donated to the newly created memorial fund, totaling some three million dollars.cite web|url= http://www.quinlanroad.com/explorethemusic/liveinparis.asp |title=Explore The Music - Live in Paris and Toronto |publisher=Quinlan Road |date= |accessdate=2011-03-02 After the release of the live album, McKennitt decided to substantially reduce the number of her public performances and did not release any new recordings until the studio album An Ancient Muse in 2006.
Honors
Juno Award , Best Roots/Traditional Album 1992, for The Visit .
Juno Award , Best Roots/Traditional Album 1994, for The Mask and Mirror .
Billboard Music Award for International Achievement, 1997.
Headline performer for HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip at Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II|The Golden Jubilee Celebrations , Province of Manitoba, 2002.
Honorary Doctor of Letters, Wilfrid Laurier University , 2002.
Member of the Order of Manitoba , July 2003.
Member of the Order of Canada , July 2004.
Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Manitoba , June 2005
Canadian Ambassador, Hans Christian Andersen Bicentennary, June 2005
Honorary Doctor of Laws, Queen's University , October 2005
Investiture as Honorary Colonel, 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron , Royal Canadian Air Force , December 2006
Nominated for a Grammy award, Best Contemporary World Music Album, in 2007
Western Canadian Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Award, September 2009
Performed at Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics , Opening Ceremonies, February 12, 2010
Honorary Bachelor of Applied Business, George Brown College , June 2010
Genre and work
Cleanup|section|date=September 2011McKennitt's music has generally been classified as World music|World / Celtic music even though it contains aspects and characteristics of music from around the globe and is sometimes classified as Folk music in record stores.Citation needed|date=December 2009 Before McKennitt composes any music, she engages in considerable research on a specific subject which then forms the general concept of the album.Citation needed|date=December 2009 Before creating Elemental and Parallel Dreams , she traveled to Ireland for inspiration from the country's history, folklore , geography and culture. The album The Mask and Mirror was preceded by research in Spain where she engaged in studying Galicia (Spain)|Galicia , a Celtic section of Spain, along with its abundant Arabic roots.Citation needed|date=December 2009 The result was an album that included elements of Celtic and Arabic music. According to the jacket notes, her album An Ancient Muse was inspired by travels among and reading about the various cultures along the Silk Road .
McKennitt is compared to Enya ,Citation needed|date=December 2009 but McKennitt's music is more grounded in traditional and classical invocations,Citation needed|date=December 2009 using literary works as sources of lyrics and springboards for interpretation such as " The Lady of Shalott " by Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson|Lord Tennyson , " Prospero 's Speech" (the final soliloquy in William Shakespeare 's The Tempest ), "Snow" by Archibald Lampman , "Dark Night of the Soul" by St. John of the Cross , Dante 's Dante's Inferno| Inferno , William Blake 's "Lullaby", William Butler Yeats|Yeats' " The Stolen Child ", "It was an English Ladye Bright" by Sir Walter Scott and The Highwayman (poem)|"The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes .
Court case
Main|McKennitt v AshIn 2005, McKennitt was involved in an acrimonious court case in Britain when her former friend and employee, Niema Ash, published a book that contained intimate details of their friendship. McKennitt argued that much of the book contained confidential personal information that Ash had no right to publish. The British courts found that there had indeed been a breach of confidence and a misuse of McKennitt's private information, and the case is likely to set important precedents in British law on the privacy of celebrities.cite news| url= http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2005/12/21/Loreena-McKennitt.html | work=CBC News | title=Publicity-shy singer wins privacy claim | date=December 21, 2005 The House of Lords affirmed the lower court's decisions in 2007.
2006 and later
In September 2006, McKennitt performed live at the Alhambra . The performance premiered on Public Broadcasting Service|PBS and in August 2007 was released on a three-disc DVD/CD set titled Nights from the Alhambra .
In 2008, McKennitt wrote and composed a song she titled "To The Fairies They Draw Near" as the theme song for Disney's direct-to-video animated film Tinker Bell (film)|Tinker Bell . She also provided the narration for the film.cite web|url= http://www.quinlanroad.com/newsandviews/currentupdates.asp? id=782 |title=Loreena sings theme song and narrates Disneys '& #39;Tinker Bell'& #39; - 5 July 2008 |publisher=Quinlanroad.com |date= |accessdate=2011-03-02
In early 2008, she returned to Peter Gabriel 's Real World Studios to record A Midwinter Nights Dream , an extended version of her 1995 mini-album A Winter Garden: Five Songs for the Season . The album was released on October 28, 2008.cite web|url= http://www.quinlanroad.com/newsandviews/currentupdates.asp? id=822 |title=A Midwinter Night's Dream Loreenas newest recording for the winter season set for release October 2008 - 7 October 2008 |publisher=Quinlanroad.com |date= |accessdate=2011-03-02
Since the release of An Ancient Muse, Loreena has toured consistently, with a European and North American tour in the spring of 2007, an extensive cross Canada and United States tour in the fall of 2007, a summer tour of Europe in 2008 and a Mediterranean tour in the summer of 2009 with stops in Greece, http://www.rocking.gr/article5947.php "T???? ??????? ?? s??a???e? t?? Loreena McKennitt" (End of June Concerts Loreena McKennitt), rocking.gr (Greek) Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, Hungary and Italy.
On September 17, 2009, McKennitt announced that she planned to release a two-disc album titled "A Mediterranean Odyssey" in the fall of 2009. The first CD, "From Istanbul to Athens," consisted of ten new live recordings made during McKennitts 2009 Mediterranean Tour, including songs she had never before recorded in concert. The second CD, "The Olive and the Cedar," had a Mediterranean theme which McKennitt herself curated. It contained previously released studio recordings created between the years of 1994 and 2006.
November 16, 2010 saw the US release (November 12 for Europe) of McKennitt's latest studio album, "The Wind That Shakes the Barley." Recorded at the Sharon Temple, Ontario, it consists of nine traditional Celtic songs. "Every once and again there is a pull to return to one's own roots or beginnings, with the perspective of time and experience, to feel the familiar things you once loved and love still," says Loreena.
Documentaries
Late in the 1990s, McKennitt created ''No Journey's End, a half-hour documentary film|documentary , for United States|American television . In it, she discussed the influences behind her music. No Journey's End contained excerpts from several songs from the albums Parallel Dreams , The Visit (Loreena McKennitt album)|The Visit , and The Mask and Mirror .'' It also shows live performances of the songs "The Lady of Shalott," "Santiago," and "The Dark Night of the Soul." It was later released on DVD and VHS , the former also containing music video s for "The Mummers' Dance" and "The Bonny Swans." A bonus copy of the DVD was included with the 2004 remastered versions of McKennitt's CD s.
In 2008, Loreena released A Moveable Musical Feast, based on her 2007 An Ancient Muse tour. The DVD included interviews with Loreena, her band, crew, fans and professional colleagues from the Canadian music industry.
Discography
Studio albums
Year
Album details
Peak chart positions
sales threshold )
CAN cite web
GER cite web
US cite web
1985
Elemental (Loreena McKennitt album)
Release date: 1985
Label: Quinlan Road
style="text-align:left;"
1987
To Drive the Cold Winter Away
Release date: 1987
Label: Quinlan Road
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1989
Parallel Dreams
Release date: 1989
Label: Quinlan Road
style="text-align:left;"
1991
The Visit (Loreena McKennitt album)
Release date: 1991
Label: Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros. (USA), Quinlan Road
28
style="text-align:left;"
Associaηγo Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos|BR : Goldcite web|url= http://www.abpd.org.br/certificados_interna.asp|title=ABPD - certificados|publisher= Associaηγo Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos |accessdate=2011-08-29
Canadian Recording Industry Association|CAN : 4& times; Platinumcite web|url= http://www.cria.ca/cert_db_search.php/cert_db_search.php? page=2& wclause=WHERE+artist_name+like+%27%25Sarah+McLachlan%25%27+AND+%28+cert_search+%3D+1+OR+cert_search+%3D+2+OR+cert_search+%3D+5+OR+cert_search+%3D+6+OR+cert_search+%3D+7+OR+cert_search+%3D+8+%29+ORDER+BY+cert_date%2C+cert_award+& rcnt=36& csearch=0& nextprev=1|title=CRIA album certifications|publisher= Canadian Recording Industry Association |accessdate=2010-11-24
Recording Industry Association of America|US : Goldcite web|url= http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php? resultpage=1& table=SEARCH_RESULTS& action=& title=& artist=Loreena%20Mc%20Kennitt& format=ALBUM& debutLP=& category=& sex=& releaseDate=& requestNo=& type=& level=& label=& company=& certificationDate=& awardDescription=& catalogNo=& aSex=& rec_id=& charField=& gold=& platinum=& multiPlat=& level2=& certDate=& album=& id=& after=& before=& startMonth=1& endMonth=1& startYear=1958& endYear=2008& sort=Artist& perPage=25|title=RIAA Gold & Platinum albums - Loreena McKennitt|publisher= Recording Industry Association of America |accessdate=2010-11-24
1994
The Mask and Mirror
Release date: 1994
Label: Quinlan Road, Warner Bros (USA)
4
18
143
style="text-align:left;"
ARG: Goldcite web|url= http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp? PerDesde_MM=0& PerDesde_AA=0& PerHasta_MM=0& PerHasta_AA=0& interprete=loreena& album=& LanDesde_MM=0& LanDesde_AA=0& LanHasta_MM=0& LanHasta_AA=0& Galardon=O& Tipo=0& ACCION2=+Buscar+& ACCION=Buscar& CO=5& CODOP=ESOP|title=CAPIF - Discos de Oro y Platino|publisher= Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers |accessdate=2011-08-29
"" denotes releases that did not chart "*" indicates unknown chart positions.
Videos
H.M.S. Pinafore Live performance recorded during the 1981 Stratford Festival in Stratford Ontario, Canada, starring Michael Burgess , Katherine Terrell, Eric Donkin, Kenneth Pearl, Jim White, et al.; Loreena McKennitt performed in the chorus. (CBC VHS 1986)
''The Mummers' Dance (1997)
The Bonny Swans
Nights from the Alhambra (2007, Live concert in Spain premiered on PBS )cite web|url= http://www.quinlanroad.com/explorethemusic/nights.asp |title=Explore The Music - Nights From The Alhambra |publisher=Quinlan Road |date= |accessdate=2011-03-02
A Moveable Musical Feast (2008, A tour documentary from Loreena's 2007 North American Tour)
Other
No Journeys End (half-hour profile, aired on PBS ; DVD )
Heaven on Earth (1987 film)|Heaven on Earth (TV Movie 1987 - played "Lady Traveler")
Highlander III (Soundtrack contribution)
The Santa Clause (Soundtrack contribution, "The Bells of Christmas")
Lιolo (Soundtrack contribution)
Una casa con vista al mar (Soundtrack contribution)
The Mists of Avalon (TV miniseries)|The Mists Of Avalon (Soundtrack use)
The Burning Times (Soundtrack contribution)
Due South (Soundtrack use)
Northern Exposure (Soundtrack use)
Tinker Bell (film)|Tinker Bell (Direct to DVD movie, 2008 - Narrator)
Soldier (film)|Soldier (Soundtrack use)
References
Reflist
External links
Wikiquotecommons|Loreena McKennitt
Official website|1= http://www.quinlanroad.com
http://www.echoes.org/onlinemckennitt.html Loreena McKennitt interview from the echoes public radio show
Loreena McKennitt Persondata | NAME =Mackennitt, Loreena | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH =February 17, 1957 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Morden, Manitoba|Morden , Manitoba , Canada | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Mackennitt, Loreena Category:Canadian female singers Category:Canadian folk musicians Category:Celtic fusion musicians Category:Musicians from Ontario Category:Canadian harpists Category:Canadian keyboardists Category:Canadian pianists Category:Canadian singer-songwriters Category:Canadian sopranos Category:Fast Folk artists Category:Warner Bros. Records artists Category:Verve Records artists Category:Canadian people of Irish descent Category:Canadian people of Scottish descent Category:People from Morden, Manitoba Category:Members of the Order of Canada Category:Members of the Order of Manitoba Category:1957 births Category:Living people
