Loreena McKennitt was born on February 17, 1957, in Morden, Manitoba, Canada. She is a Canadian musician, songwriter, and producer. She developed an appreciation for traditional music that crossed the categories of folk music and world music after studying piano, voice, and dance.
She moved to Stratford, Ontario to pursue a music career after briefly studying veterinary science at the University of Manitoba. McKennitt founded Quinlan Road, her own recording label, in 1985, after being inspired Diane Sward Rapaport’s book How to Make and Sell Your Own Recordings. Quinlan Road was initially based in McKennitt’s home. She also expanded her instrument repertoire to include the accordion and the harp.
McKennitt released her first album, Elemental, the same year she founded her label. By 1999, she had released seven more albums:
In 1987, to get rid of the cold winter
In 1989, Parallel Dreams was released.
In 1991, there was a visit.
In 1994, The Mask and the Mirror was released.
In 1995, the Winter Garden was established.
In 1997, The Book of Secrets was published.
Live in Paris and Toronto, which had been recorded previously and released in 1999,
Following a European tour and the inclusion of her music in the films Highlander 3, Jade, and Soldier, as well as the television miniseries The Mists of Avalon, McKennitt’s work began to reach a wider audience during this time. Following the untimely death of her fiancé in 1998, she took a break from music before releasing her next album, Ancient Muse, in 2006 and another live recording, Nights of the Alhambra, in 2007. In the meantime, she was awarded the Order of Canada in 2004.
Part of the appeal of McKennitt’s work stems from her use of Shakespeare, Tennyson, William Blake, W.B. Yeats, and Saint John of the Cross’ poetry in her lyrics. “Bonny Portmore,” “The Bonny Swans,” “The Lady of Shallott,” “The Mummer’s Dance,” and “The Mystic’s Dream” are some of McKennitt’s best-known songs.