Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennitt , born on February 17th, 1957, is a Auteur-compositeur-interprète, harpist, Accordéon ist and Canadian pianist . The quality of its compositions and its interpretations gave him an international repute. It finds the inspiration of its music in the Celtic legends.

Biography and career

Loreena McKennitt was born in Morden close to Winnipeg (province of the Manitoba, Canada), of a family of Irish and Scottish origin. His/her father is cattle breeder and his mother nurse. She learns how to play of the piano and follows courses of song; it is during the Années 1970 that she discovers the “Celtic Musique” and in particular first productions of Alan Stivell. It is thus by the means of the music that it will be interested in the Celtic Civilization. In 1974, it occurs in Winnipeg Folk Festival.

In 1981, it settles with Stratford (Ontario), where it collaborates like compositrice and interprets, with the Festival of the city, several years of continuation (see article Festival of Stratford of Canada). It occurs at the time of several festivals folk (Vancouver, Winnipeg) and carries out a round in concert in all Canada. In parallel it composes the music of two feature-length films and two documentary.

In 1985, it creates Quinlan Road, a production company to manage its career and to ensure the production of its discs. This same year, it leaves its first album Elemental , based on traditional melodies of Celtic origin, where combines its voice and the sound of the toothing-stone; the album is sold with 100.000 specimens. Its second album, To Drive the Cold Winter Away , is inspired by the songs of the winter. Parallel Dreams in 1989 is a mixture of recoveries and personal compositions, it is a business success, which confirms the growing fame of the artist. Then in 1991 it delivers The Visit , its fourth opus, of which it sells 2 million albums. She plays International festival of Edinburgh. She leaves in round with Mike Oldfield, of which she ensures the first part of Tubular Bells II . The Mask and Mirror is an opening on other traditional musical universes, for the texts it takes again extracts of William Shakespeare and William Butler Yeats. The Book off Secret (1997) is its last album studio, it meets an international success thanks to the diffusion on the radios of the title The Mummer' S Dance remixé in shortened version.

The following year, it loses its been engaged, drowned in an accident of boat, with two other people. Since this tragedy, its career is in sleep, except the exit of its disc live, recorded in the Pleyel Room with Paris and in Massey Hall of Toronto and some collaborations and appearances. The August 4th 2005, it takes part in the festival folk of Edmonton or it interprets, inter alia, two titles of its future album (which will leave in 2006). It remains on the other hand very active socially. It sets up the Cook-Rees Foundation, (rescue and nautical safety) in memory of her drowned friends and part of the profits related to the sale of its last album live will be versed in this foundation. Later, it takes part financially in the Aid funds of the Company of the Turkish Red Crescent and the Hellenic Red Cross. More close to it, it acquires in 2002 an old school with Stratford in Ontario which threatened to be destroyed and transforms it by creating Falstaff Family Center in Statford. During this period, Loreena McKennitt accomplishes also various voyages in Greece, Turkey and even Mongolia in order to be inspired and acquire material for its future album.

In February 2006, Loreena McKennitt enters to the Real World Studio (Great Britain) for the recording of a new album, left the November 20th 2006 under the title An Ancient MUSE . In September of the same year it recorded a concert with the Alhambra of Grenade in Spain filmed for documentary which will be diffused on television in North America. In 2007 it starts an international round through Europe and North America, accompanied by its faithful musicians, increased the few new ones. One finds in particular Caroline Lavelle with the violoncello, Hugh Marsh with the violin, Donald Quan with the keyboards & violin viola, Rick Lazar with the percussions, Nigel Eaton with the hurdy-gurdy or Brian Hughes with the guitars and various string instruments (oud, bouzouki) as well as a beater, Tal Bergman, because of the important presence of battery on An Ancient MUSE .

August 21st, 2007 left its musical DVD, " Nights from the Alhambra" who recalls his two concerts of the September 13rd and 14th 2006 filmed in the enclosure of the palate of Charles Quint in Alhambra (Grenade, Spain).

Discography

Of the 9 albums of its catalog (7 albums studios plus the Live in Paris and Toronto and Nights from the Alhambra , 13 million specimens were sold throughout the world):

Albums of short duration

¹ disc not marketed, available only in VPC at Quinlan Road.

Simple albums

DVD

Film musics

  • 1985 : Bayo
  • 1986 : Heaven one Earth
  • 1987: To has Safer Place (documentary)
  • 1989: Goddess Remember (documentary)
  • 1992: Léolo (song The Lady off Shalott)
  • 1995: Highlander III (song Bonny Portmore )
  • 1998: Soldier (song Night across the caucasus )
  • 2001: The Mists Off Avalon , participation in the bo of the televised series

Rewards

External bonds

  • Official site Quinlan Road

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