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Loreena Isabel Irene McKennitt, CM OM (born February 17, 1957) is a Canadian musician, composer, harpist, accordionist, and pianist who writes, records and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern themes. McKennitt is known for her refined and clear dramatic soprano vocals. She has sold more than 14 million records worldwide.

When she was young McKennitt wanted to become a veterinarian; she would later state that music chose her rather than she it. 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.

McKennitt's first album, Elemental, was released in 1985, followed by To Drive the Cold Winter Away (1987), Parallel Dreams (1989), The Visit (1991), The Mask and Mirror (1994), A Winter Garden (1995), The Book of Secrets (1997), An Ancient Muse (2006), A Midwinter Night’s Dream (2008), and 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 song would later be rerecorded by her and her band on her album The Visit under the title "Tango to Evora."

In 1993, she toured Europe supporting Mike Oldfield. In 1995, her version of the traditional Irish song "Bonny Portmore" was featured in the 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. It also saw use in the trailer for a wide-release 1998 Drew Barrymore film Ever After.

Her music appeared in the movies The Santa Clause, Soldier, Jade, Holy Man, The Mists of Avalon and Tinkerbell; and in the television series Roar, Due South, and Full Circle (Women and Spirituality).

On November 30, 2012, McKennitt lent her support to Kate Winslet’s Golden Hat Foundation together with Tim Janis, Sarah McLachlan, Andrea Corr, Hayley Westenra, Sleepy Man Banjo Boys, Dawn Kenney, Jana Mashonee, Amy Petty and a choir etc performing on "The American Christmas Carol" concert in Carnegie Hall.

In July 1998, McKennitt's fiancé Ronald Rees, his brother Richard and their close friend Gregory Cook drowned in 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. 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.

Live in Paris and Toronto is a two CD live album by Loreena McKennitt, released in 1999. Disc one is a live performance of the studio album The Book of Secrets; disc two features songs from her albums The Visit and The Mask and Mirror.

“Road signs to Rome, a turnoff to Munich, a traffic jam en route to Hamburg, a fueling station on the highway out of Barcelona, Easter in Brussels, buses and trucks making their way through the night. Flights to Montreal, New York or Los Angeles, the lights of airports, highways, runways … the exotic and eclectic blend of experiences, from the sublime to the ridiculous, from the touching to the infuriating, the invigorating to the exhausting….” Loreena McKennitt’s memories of the tour that brought Live In Paris And Toronto to life hint at the kaleidoscope of impressions that fuel its vibrancy and passion.

Captured live in April and May of 1998 in the Salle Pleyel in Paris and Massey Hall in Toronto, this 1999 two-CD set is, says Loreena, simply “the sound of us doing what we did”. Featuring performances of all of the songs from The Book Of Secrets as well as a generous selection of favorites from previous recordings, Live In Paris And Toronto is a charitable effort in support of The Cook-Rees Memorial Fund For Water Search And Safety. Its proceeds have now raised millions of dollars for the Fund’s work in the fields of water safety and education. Live In Paris And Toronto is a fund-raising project for The Cook-Rees Memorial Fund For Water Search And Safety.

Loreena McKennitt is in her element in front of an audience, telling interesting stories about the songs and assembling a topnotch backing band. This is her first live release available to the public, and uses material from three concerts (one from Paris and two from Toronto) to put together a complete show. As with The Book of Secrets tour, the first half is The Book of Secrets in its entirety, arranged in the same order as the studio CD. This material is covered on the first CD, and it has never sounded better. The live performance seems to breathe new life into the tracks and some songs, such as "Dante's Prayer" and "Skellig," sound better than the studio recordings. The second CD is more of an overview of her career, featuring songs from her back catalog. Again, the tracks seem to benefit when played in front of an audience; in particular, "The Lady of Shalott" and "All Souls Night" are brilliant. The musicianship on this live CD is excellent, and her band is very tight, as though they had been playing together for years. The sound of the CD is amazing; while maintaining the warmth of a live performance, McKennitt is still able to present a crisp, clean recording -- a remarkable feat. Also worth noting is the packaging, which includes notes by McKennitt, wonderful photos, and details of how the whole package was put together. This CD is ideal for fans and is actually a good place for newcomers to start. ~ Aaron Badgley

Loreena McKennitt's two-CD set, plucked from performances in Paris and Toronto, documents the modern-day troubadour's live dimension, luxuriously unravelling her talents on harp, accordion, and piano like a finely woven tapestry. Lovers of The Book of Secrets, The Mask and Mirror, and her other enchanting albums will be pleased by this virtuoso performance and crisp recording of many favourite songs including "The Mummers' Dance" and "Bonny Portmore". McKennitt's voice is in finely polished form here--no hints of hoarse tour fatigue whatsoever. "Marco Polo", a delicious, trance-like jam on The Book of Secrets, rushes a bit too quickly, lacking the expansive, improvised groove that could've richly garnished this tasty track. But this is a small bit of tarnish on the silver beauty of this magnificent collection, brought to life by McKennitt's ensemble of violin, cello, hurdy-gurdy, bass, and percussion that all interlock lovingly with McKennitt's angelic voice. And what makes this gem even more beautifully poignant is its dedication to McKennitt's fiancé, who died in July, 1998, in a boating accident. Proceeds from album sales will go to his memorial fund dedicated to water search and rescue. If in 1999 we weren't fortunate enough to indulge in new material from this special artist, we at least have a taste of her extraordinary music to savour in a new, golden light. -- Karen Karleski 

After her single "The Mummers' Dance" went gold last year, and the album that spawned it, Book of Secrets, sold over 3 million copies, Canadian chanteuse Loreena McKennitt ever so quietly became one of the most independently powerful women in the music business. Having completed the terms of her Warner Bros. contract with Book of Secrets, the self-produced, self-managed singer struck a deal with the major label to distribute her latest album, the 2-CD Live in Paris and Toronto. Available exclusively through her Quinlan Road label this summer, Live in Paris and Toronto, the singer's first full-length live recording, was originally planned as an Internet/fan club-only release, a tribute to Ronald Rees, McKennitt's fiance who was drowned in a boating accident during the mixing of the album (proceeds from the LP's sale go to the Cook Rees Memorial Fund for Water Search and Safety, which she helped establish). With the album due for a full commercial release later this month, longtime fans will find no surprises upon hearing Live in Paris and Toronto; it's as lovely and aurally pristine as anything she's ever recorded, an album of rare quality and uncommon perfection -- a quality McKennitt has been able to match and surpass with each new recording. Like an early Christmas present, Live is joyous and unexpected, exquisite in packaging (particularly the Quinlan Road version), and a pure pleasure. Crossover hit "The Mummers' Dance" is the second of 17 well-loved cuts, and only barely touches McKennitt's pantheistic embrace of the beauty and mystery of her domain. Legend and lore, highwaymen and mystics, Marco Polo and Dante and other such exotic figures inhabit that world, which comes alive with pulsing drums, alluring cello, poignant hurdy-gurdy, elegant harp, and as always, her voice casting its crystalline spell. Books of Secrets is performed in its beguiling entirety on the first disc, while the second is a rich sample of her repertoire. "Santiago," "Bonny Portmore," "The Mystic's Dream," and "All Souls Night" fit easily with "Between the Shadows," "The Lady of Shalott," "The Bonny Swans," and "Cymbeline." McKennitt rarely tours, a situation unlikely to change, so take Live in Paris and Toronto at face value. It's a body of work that transcends time and trend. - Margaret Moser 

This listing is for a rare 2-CD title - a FACTORY SEALED 2-CD set PRESSED and ISSUED by QUINLAN ROAD of a highly collectible title, featuring -

Loreena McKennitt

2-CD Title -

Live in Paris and Toronto

Track Listing -

1-1 Prologue - 5:00
1-2 The Mummers' Dance - 3:54
1-3 Skellig - 5:24
1-4 Marco Polo - 4:35
1-5 The Highwayman - Lyrics By – Alfred NoyesMusic By – Loreena McKennitt - 9:19
1-6 La Serenissima - 5:55
1-7 Night Ride Across The Caucasus - 6:22
1-8 Dante's Prayer - 5:25

Set Two
2-1 The Mystic's Dream - 6:29
2-2 Santiago - Arranged By – Loreena McKennitt Music By – Traditional - 5:32
2-3 Bonny Portmore - Arranged By – Loreena McKennitt Music By, Lyrics By – Traditional - 3:50
2.4 Between The Shadows - 4:18
2-5 The Lady Of Shalott - Lyrics By – Alfred Lord Tennyson Music By – Loreena McKennitt - 9:05
2-6 The Bonny Swans - Lyrics By – Traditional Music By, Arranged By – Loreena McKennitt - 6:33
2-7 The Old Ways - 5:03
2-8 All Souls Night - 4:13
2-9 Cymbeline - Lyrics By – William Shakespeare Music By – Loreena McKennitt - 6:27

Performers on this CD include -

• Accordion, Harp, Piano, Vocals, Producer – Loreena McKennitt
• Cello – Caroline Lavelle
• Composed By – Loreena McKennitt (tracks: 1-1 to 1-4, 1-6 to 1-8, 2-1, 2-4, 2-7, 2-8)
• Double Bass [Acoustic Bass] – Danny Thompson
• Engineer [Assistant] – Brian Hughes, Jacquie Turner
• Guitar – Brian Hughes, Rob Piltch
• Hurdy Gurdy – Nigel Eaton
• Keyboards – Donald Quan, Loreena McKennitt, Rob Piltch
• Mastered By – Bob Ludwig
• Mixed By – Stuart Bruce
• Oud, Bouzouki – Brian Hughes
• Percussion – Rick Lazar
• Photography – Donna Griffith
• Recorded By – Jeff Wolpert
• Violin – Hugh Marsh

This 2-CD set is from the QUINLAN ROAD series of CDs.

  • 2-CDs catalog # QRCD 108
  • 2-CDs made in CANADA
  • 2-CDs issued in 1999 (first issue)
  • Recorded at Salle Pleyel, Paris, on April 19, 1998, and Massey Hall, Toronto, on May 3-4, 1998. 
    A project in aid of The Cook-Rees Memorial Fund for Water Search and Safety. 
    This record is dedicated to the memory of Ronald Douglas Rees.             
    Pressed By – Disque Americ

The 2-CDs, JEWEL CASE AND INSERTS are all assumed to be in mint overall condition as this item is actually FACTORY SEALED!

This CD is an audiophile quality pressing (any collector of fine MFSL, half speeds, direct to discs, Japanese/UK pressings etc., can attest to the difference a quality pressing can make to an audio system).

Do not let this rarity slip by!