Loreena McKennitt: A Year Ago Today...

A year ago today, my friend Angie and I got to see Loreena McKennitt in concert. This was my second time seeing her live, the first being back in 2007 while in college and studying vocal performance. Loreena has been one of my favorites since I was in high school. Her voice was so unique to me the first time I heard it – it was nothing like I had heard before. Her beautiful and raw covers of traditional music, and even her own compositions just captivated me. I love songs that tell stories and express our rich history as humans. But at the same time, her music takes us to another world, full of contemplation. The concert was peaceful - just a trio instead of the full band. When she started to play her famous arrangement of The Lady of Shallot, it was a magical moment. I sang a few of her traditional Christmas arrangements for the Winter Light concert I produced this past winter and also sang her own composition, Snow (No one, not even myself, can do it better than her). She will always be an inspiration to me and I thank her for that.