The power of one multiplied – why vote? 15 Apr 2025, 1:36 pm

Why vote now?
The power of one multiplied

Loreena McKennitt
Wise Communities Founder

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure it’s not news that the upcoming April 28th Canadian federal election is considered by many to have a once-in-a-generation significance.

As far as I can see, there’s little or no reason for folks not to vote unless they’re deathly ill. Even for those who’ve become increasingly cynical, choosing the best amongst the worst is better than not voting at all.

I guess the way I see it, to vote is to fulfill one of the obvious and not too onerous duties each of us has to help steer our country along.

My own litmus test is to imagine myself in the company of any of those who fought in the Second World War and explain to them why I’m not participating in the democracy they fought to defend. I try to envision their reaction.

Sometimes my family and I volunteer at the Canadian Legion in Stratford. Every time we’re there I’m reminded of the incredible sacrifices made by so many in order to give future generations the liberty of choosing how their country is run.  They passed that torch to us. We must not let them down. Democracies do not thrive as a spectator sport.

As the storms of authoritarianism blow more frequently and closer to home, we can remind ourselves that in addition to having the choice of whether or not to vote, we have the choice of who to vote for. This is not the case in other parts of the world, such as Russia. They dispatch the competition.

So, what can we do?

Given the threat to our nation, sober thought must be given to the options of who might best protect our democracy and sovereignty – even if you’ve never voted for them before, or might never vote for them again.

Study up on the subjects and policies using reliable, regulated and accountable sources such as the CBC, our public broadcaster. Abandon the U.S.-owned tech companies and their social media sites which are being weaponised against us by bad actors, foreign and otherwise.

Please keep in your hearts other subjects which we know to be true and for which future generations will bear the consequences, such as climate change and environmental issues.

Get out and vote. Vote early. Help and encourage your neighbours and family to vote, offer to drive them and grab an ice cream cone on the way home to congratulate yourselves. Reach out to any young people who might be voting for the first time. Get them excited about exercising this incredible privilege and learning how their country is run.

Please don’t sit this one out – or any election for that matter. Each and every vote counts. The power of one multiplied can have a profound impact. It can mean a life of liberty – or not.

~ LM

The post The power of one multiplied – why vote? appeared first on Loreena McKennitt.

Loreena to be inducted into Canadian Music Hall of Fame 15 Jan 2025, 4:15 pm

Loreena to be inducted into Canadian Music Hall of Fame

Recognized for her ‘astounding contributions’

In a live ceremony this spring, Loreena will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in recognition of her “astounding contributions to Canada’s music history”.

On May 15, 2025 she’ll be one of five new inductees elevated to this prestigious category.

The Canadian Music Hall of Fame was established in 1978. It recognizes Canadian artists that have attained commercial success while having an artistic impact on the Canadian music scene and/or around the world, with careers that span at least 20 years from their first recording.

The other new inductees will be Dan Hill, Ginette Reno, Glass Tiger and Sum 41.

This recognition means Loreena, a two-time JUNO Award winner, will now be joining the ranks of Canada’s most esteemed talent, including Alanis Morissette, Barenaked Ladies, Deborah Cox, Jann Arden, Joni Mitchell, k.d. lang, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Nickelback, Oscar Peterson, RUSH, The Guess Who, The Tragically Hip, Sarah McLachlan and Shania Twain. 

“I am extremely honoured to be acknowledged in this way. It has been, and continues to be, a fascinating, enriching and at times challenging journey,” says Loreena. “In this era of unregulated technology, building a career like mine all over again would be almost impossible today. I am now humbled to find myself in the company of all the other artists who’ve been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and I’m most grateful for the enjoyment and enrichment I’ve experienced through their creative work.”

The live ceremony will take place at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre in Calgary, Alberta.

“This year’s inductees are a fantastic example of the breadth of Canadian music and its greatness,” said Patrick Rogers, CEO, Music Canada. 

Says their press release announcing the inductions, “Loreena McKennitt is a rarity in popular music – a self-managed, self-produced artist who owns her own record label, mounts her own tours, whose music crosses stylistic and cultural boundaries, and who has sold more than 14 million albums worldwide.”

Loreena was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2023. She will therefore soon be inducted into two of Canada’s four music halls of fame. Only a few select artists are instated into multiple halls of fame.

The spring ceremony follows the induction of Maestro Fresh Wes (during The 2024 JUNO Awards Broadcast in Halifax, NS) and Sum 41 who will celebrate the induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame live on The 2025 JUNO Awards Broadcast in Vancouver on March 30, 2025.

The post Loreena to be inducted into Canadian Music Hall of Fame appeared first on Loreena McKennitt.

Unimaginable losses for guitarist Brian Hughes 13 Jan 2025, 9:17 pm

Unimaginable losses for guitarist Brian Hughes

GoFundMe account set up for core member of Loreena’s band

When a raging fire engulfed his Altadena, California neighborhood last week, Brian Hughes lost it all: his home, his studio, all his recording equipment and a collection of guitars spanning five decades—essentially all the tools of his livelihood and artistry.

Brian and his wife Pamela are now among the tens of thousands of displaced people in California trying to figure out where to go and what to do next. By some estimates 12,000 structures have been completely destroyed – including people’s homes, churches, schools, restaurants and businesses.

The award-winning guitarist, who has been a friend and musical companion of Loreena’s for over 35 years, was born in Canada but moved to the Los Angeles area 25 years ago to be closer to the vibrant jazz scene there.

• CBC The National: What some Canadians saved from the L.A. wildfires — ice skates, a guitar and grandma’s quilt

“It is just total devastation, not one house standing on our street or in our neighborhood,” says Brian. “So many beautiful and historic properties were lost in the fire. Pamela, myself and our dog Una are safe and that is a blessing. Our new journey together is just beginning.”

In an effort to help provide some immediate financial relief to secure temporary housing and essentials for Brian and his wife, a GoFundMe page has been set up by Brian’s daughter Thea, with support from Loreena.

“I know there are thousands of you and in many different countries who’ve heard Brian play, not only at my concerts but during his own performances as a jazz guitarist,” says Loreena. “No doubt you too will be saddened to learn of this shattering news and inconceivable loss. My hope is that those of you who are able will offer your support.”

In addition to being a multi-award-winning guitarist, composer and producer, Brian has performed with Loreena and been part of her world tours for more than three decades. He and Loreena also received a Juno nomination in 1992 for their co-production of The Visit. He’s been a key musician throughout most of her catalogue, which includes eight studio recordings and a live in-concert DVD.

The couple is temporarily staying with friends, well aware there are so many other impacted families who will have their own challenges and their own personal journeys of recovery.

For now, please hold them in your hearts and offer whatever support you can.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-altadena-guitarist-brian-hughes

https://www.brianhughes.com/

https://www.instagram.com/bouzoukihughes

The post Unimaginable losses for guitarist Brian Hughes appeared first on Loreena McKennitt.

The season of grace and giving 20 Dec 2024, 4:42 pm

YEAR END REFLECTION
The season of grace and giving

In recent years I’ve sat down to reflect on the year ahead and the year gone by with hands poised on a computer keyboard.

Of course it wasn’t always thus, having grown up in an era long before computers.

And yet this year I feel inclined more than ever to once again take up pen and paper to re-experience the sensual act of thinking and writing in a way and at a tempo that seems more harmonized with my physical being – to slow things down and take in the moment.

My reflections at this time of the year keep pulling me to the real and tangible, like singing carols this week at the Falstaff Family Centre, baking cookies, reading a reflective poem, or going for a slow walk in nature.

I am reminded how rewarding it can be if one can just access the patience which seems to have slipped from our human experience in recent years. Perhaps it’s because technology has driven us faster and faster while disconnecting us from each other, no matter what it promises to the contrary.

A wonderful, warm and full yellow moon sat in the low northwest sky a few early mornings ago. It reminded me time is long and that we come and go through the ages. Yet simple beauties remain all around us, often in nature or with those we love.

We are called upon to remember that the message of the season is one of humility not hubris, of harmony and not hate, kindness not cruelty and respect for the dignity of all.

In these uncertain times, perhaps more than ever, we must give of ourselves whenever and wherever possible. This is the greatest gift of all. There is no act too small. Even a smile can be so appreciated. But of course for those with more means there is the opportunity to do so much more and our living world depends on it.

To those of you who were able to travel to our performances this past year and to those who were not able, we hold all of you in our hearts with gratitude and love.

May I and my colleagues Mark, Errol, Andrea, Stacey, and Ian wish you the very best for the year ahead and beyond.

~LM

The post The season of grace and giving appeared first on Loreena McKennitt.

Back to Black – 20%-off sale for one week only! 29 Nov 2024, 4:25 pm

Back to Black
20%-off sale for one week only!

From now until December 5th all CD, vinyl* and DVD titles from Loreena’s store will be discounted 20% during our week-long Black Friday sale.

Time to fill in your collection, or think ahead to gift giving?

Even the sheet music store, which has never before been discounted, is included in this sale.

SHOP AND SAVE

The Black Friday discount will be applied at checkout.

*Sale excludes Loreena’s two most recent coloured vinyl releases: Elemental (transparent green) and The Visit (crystal clear).

Also note, we have made alternative shipping arrangements to avoid any impact from the ongoing Canada Post strike.

The post Back to Black – 20%-off sale for one week only! appeared first on Loreena McKennitt.

Social media musical chairs 25 Nov 2024, 4:29 pm

Social media musical chairs
Loreena opens Bluesky account, at least for now

Ever since social media came on the scene, people have gravitated to the property that most suited their needs and desires. But over time we’ve seen some of these places evolving in ways that no longer feel compatible. In response, we’ve migrated to other services more closely resembling our own needs, principles and values.

In 2018 Loreena closed her Facebook account. We are now mothballing her Twitter/X account, believing the social networking site is counterproductive to a civil society. In order to try and reach more kindred souls, we’re now moving to the social network Bluesky, hoping to reclaim likeminded connections, trusting for now that it too will not become compromised. @loreenamckennitt.bsky.social

Needless to say, our favourite connection is always in person – always the real human network.

The post Social media musical chairs appeared first on Loreena McKennitt.

Ambitious new album for UK bassist Dudley Phillips 25 Nov 2024, 4:19 pm

Dudley Phillips, the double bassist who has played with Loreena since 2010, has just released his third and most ambitious album to date. Crayon Scrawl was inspired by “spontaneous musical sketches” and features “strong compositions with memorable melodies, interesting textures and intriguing solos”.

Having toured and recorded with such artists as Mark Knopfler, Bill Withers, Amy Winehouse, June Tabor, Yazz Ahmed and Robert Wyatt, he’s also a founding member of the UK jazz/folk group Perfect Houseplants.

Dudley plays on Loreena’s Lost Souls album and was part of her year-long Lost Souls Tour in 2019. He also performed on the album Live at The Royal Albert Hall.  “He brings such feeling and strength in the groove or motion of a piece,” says Loreena.

He was profiled in a 2021 feature story in the Loreena McKennitt Community newsletter.

Playing acoustic bass guitar throughout the album, Dudley is accompanied by UK/Italian John Parricelli on acoustic guitar, Rod Youngs from Washington, DC on drums and Rick Bolton on nylon string and electric guitars. Canadian violinist Hugh Marsh, a long-time member of Loreena’s band, plays on several tracks, along with Bahraini trumpeter Yazz Ahmed, Syrian oud player Rihab Azar and UK/Irish bass clarinettist George Crowley.

Crayon Scrawl will be released on Nov. 29th as a CD with free download, or download alone at Bandcamp. You can also stream it by searching ‘Dudley Phillips’ on Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud, Deezer and most other platforms.

dudleyphillips.com

The post Ambitious new album for UK bassist Dudley Phillips appeared first on Loreena McKennitt.

Post-tour cocooning and autumn reflections 24 Oct 2024, 8:20 pm

Post-tour cocooning and autumn reflections

There is something exciting about travel and we’ve done a fair bit of it this year. It’s hard to believe it was a year ago that we embarked on the first of three tours.  And I admit, I wish we could tour much more. (For those interested, we’re looking into 2026.)

And yet, there is also something to be said about coming home and being part of the fabric of the community and the drill of everyday life.

Once I resurfaced from our final date in Milan on July 26th, I returned home to my garden which thankfully had been maintained by a couple of lovely ladies from Ukraine. The beans and tomatoes produced a bountiful harvest and we even got to canning almost 35 litres of tomatoes, some from my garden and the rest from a local market producer.

September was busy with a few family birthdays and the mounting of displays and activities at the Falstaff Family Centre in preparation for The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. As usual, it was a time for reflection on the history of Indigenous people here on Turtle Island (North America) and the calls to action which came out of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission between 2008 and 2015. We were also blessed here just last week with an inspiring presentation by Robin Wall Kimmerer, the Indigenous author of Braiding Sweetgrass.

Several weekends ago it was Canadian Thanksgiving and I found myself hosting a big potluck dinner with some Ukrainian guests, while glancing out the window at some of the most glorious colours of maple trees I’ve seen in many years. Thanksgiving has always been held high in my calendar, so much so that I’ve steered tours and studio dates around it so I can be home sharing this time with family and friends.

Last weekend, my family and I worked alongside many others in the planting of 10,000 trees at Rouge National Urban Park, one of the largest urban parks in North America. Digging and planting all morning long, there were dogwood and coniferous seedlings waiting to be nestled into the soil. Robin Wall Kimmerer’s words were still ringing in my ears. She argues the earth and the natural world it supports are all animate beings and we should regard them as kin. Waterways, forests and fields, rocks and plants, plus all creatures from fungus and falcons to elephants deserve our care and respect. As I placed each little seedling into the soil that will now become its home, I thought of their legacy and the impact they’ll have on future wildlife and climate change.

Now, we’re busy preparing for the Nov. 11th Remembrance Day service in Stratford.  My team of colleagues, Errol, Mark and Henry, help with the preparations in conjunction with the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. My contribution on that day will be to sing O Canada, our national anthem.

Just a few weeks ago, I was asked to speak at the Legion to commemorate National Veterans’ Week and to share some of my experiences as the former honorary colonel of the Royal Canadian Air Force. On Nov. 6th I’ll be speaking at a local high school.

And of course, I, like many others, have sought to find the balance between being fixated on the state of our world – climate change, wars, human rights and democracies – and acknowledging each of us can only do so much. And yet, I am equally reminded that it can be the accumulation of singular efforts which may ultimately bring about change.

I am more convinced than ever after meeting people from across so many countries, cultures and religions over the 30-plus years of my career, that there is more to bind us together than should be tearing us apart. We all seek to be loved, to belong. We all need equality and liberty, the security of food and housing, and a path for self determination.

Our first step in rediscovering our commonality might just be to turn off our social media and have tea with a stranger. You’d be surprised how much we are the same.

~LM

The post Post-tour cocooning and autumn reflections appeared first on Loreena McKennitt.

Grammy winner SMOG designed five of Loreena’s album covers 16 Oct 2024, 4:17 pm

Photo Credit – iheartmaarten

Grammy winner SMOG designed five of Loreena’s album covers

Over the past 40 years, Jeri and John Heiden, of SMOG Design, have worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry and designed some of the most iconic album covers of all time. SMOG also designed five of Loreena’s albums, including her latest release, The Mask and Mirror Live (2024), as well as The Road Back Home (2024), Under A Winter’s Moon (2022), Lost Souls (2018) and The Visit (1990).

Earlier this year, SMOG won the prestigious Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, for their design of For the Birds: The Birdsong Project. The five-volume, 20-LP deluxe box set, which includes a 60-page booklet with paintings and illustrations of birds, benefits the National Audubon Society and proceeds go towards protecting birds and their habitats.

It was SMOG’s first Grammy, but Jeri Heiden had previously been nominated five times. Collectively, Jeri and John share an impressive list of accolades and awards from a wide range of professional organizations within the design world.

Loreena’s relationship with Jeri Heiden dates back to 1991 when she was still working at Warner Bros. Records as vice-president and chief art director. “It was when Loreena was working on The Visit and I had many conversations on the phone with her about that project,” recalls Jeri. “She was the full package – touring artist, giving creative direction, a successful business woman. She told me about the shoot in Lisbon she’d organized with photographer Elisabeth Feryn and I thought, ‘Wow, she’s totally got it going on taking a photographer to Lisbon. It was so exotic and very impressive.”

That admiration swings both ways. “It’s been such a privilege and pleasure to continue working with someone as talented as Jeri,” says Loreena. “I always felt she understood the esthetic I was seeking in the art work and she possesses the great talent to execute it better than I could ever imagine. I’m not surprised in the least she would win a Grammy.”

The Visit, their first project together, was the recording that propelled Loreena onto the world stage and the point at which she struck a deal with Warner Music Group in what was a unique and ground-breaking contract within the music industry. Jeri assigned the late Margo Chase, of Chase Design Studio, to work on The Mask and Mirror for Loreena in 1994, which featured a digital collage of the Unicorn Tapestries woven around 1500. “It was ground-breaking at the time,” says Jeri, who five years after that project left Warner Bros. to join SMOG.

Founded in 1995 by her husband John Heiden, SMOG identifies itself a boutique design firm. It’s based in Silverlake, California, an eastside neighbourhood of Los Angeles. While the firm is slowly winding down its range of services as the Heidens inch towards retirement, over the years they’ve offered photo art direction, imaging, brand identity, entertainment packaging, merchandising, advertising, and book and publication design. But they’re undoubtedly best known for their work in the music industry.

They’ve designed albums for The Eagles, Madonna, k.d. lang, P!nk, Paul Simon, Don Henley, Rod Stewart, Tracy Chapman, Tina Turner, Janet Jackson, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Sting, Sheryl Crow. And the list just goes on and on.

“This feels like what I’ve always done. It’s my happy place,” confides Jeri, who’s been working in the music and music packaging business for over four decades, work that in addition to exceptional creativity requires a special kind of diplomacy and skill.

“I’m very empathetic towards the artists,” she explains. “I’ve never tried to be their best friends, but I really listen to what the artist wants and try to understand their perspective. I have empathy for them. It’s a trust thing.” And trust they’ve clearly earned, given SMOG’s impressive portfolio.

And then there’s the discretion factor, which of course is an essential part of the package and one of the firm’s defining attributes.

“You have to have discretion because the big international superstars – they want to be respected and know that you’re trustworthy and not telling their secrets,” Jeri explains. “This is extremely important in this line of work. They need to know you’re looking out for them. The creative process is something we keep among ourselves.”

Asked whether she believes creativity is something you’re born with or something you learn, she reflects. “I don’t know, I would imagine you’re born with it. I do think it’s instinctual, but over time you also have to learn how to use your tools.”

There are many parts to the design process, but what Jeri loves most is the research phase, which sets the stage for what comes after. “I like gathering the ideas, talking to the artist, dialing in on the ideas around the project – what does it mean, what’s the dominant point of view, is there something historic? I love this research phase. And once you’ve got all that down you‘re ready to do the creative work.”

One thing that concerns her about the evolving design world is the potential impact of Artificial Intelligence. While acknowledging there will always be people able to push through the barriers of limitation, whatever they happen to be, she sees the threat of AI as a formidable one. “I’m terrified of AI and where it’s going to take us. I’m fascinated by it, but wary of what it can do to so many creative fields. Any young person thinking about a future in graphic design I would urge to think very carefully about it and consider whether it’s a viable long-term option.”

SMOG disbanded its studio in 2019, freeing its design staff to do their own thing. It’s just Jeri and John now and they’re winding their way towards the next phase in life, although Jeri admits she still has “a lot of excitement for the work”. So these days she’s picking and choosing assignments.

If a project feels like more than Jeri can handle, she simply collaborates or passes it along to her former colleagues, who she’s also quick to credit for their contributions to SMOG’s impressive record. “I have to acknowledge a lot of the work on our website was collaborative with the designers we’ve worked with on our teams over the years.”

Looking back at their accomplishments while bringing into focus what a future retirement might look like, it must be nice to know they’ll be taking a Grammy along for the ride. What a way to cap it all off.

“I can say that I’m extremely grateful for the career I’ve had,” says Jeri. “There have been transitions for sure, but working in a creative field with people that I really like – I feel lucky every single day.”

***

Written by Diane Sewell, a career journalist for more than 30 years. In addition to working with Loreena for 20 years, she has also written for the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and assorted consumer magazines. She is also the author of several commissioned books.

The post Grammy winner SMOG designed five of Loreena’s album covers appeared first on Loreena McKennitt.

Ofra Harnoy’s grateful evolution 5 Jul 2024, 7:40 pm

Ofra Harnoy’s grateful evolution
Celebrated cellist played on The Mask and Mirror and in concert with Loreena

Ofra Harnoy is considered one of the greatest cellists in the world. She’s performed on five continents, played for Prince Charles (before he was King Charles III), for former president Bill Clinton, three Canadian prime ministers and the Imperial Japanese family. She was playing at Carnegie Hall by age 17. She’s won five Juno Awards, France’s Grand Prix du Disque, multiple Critics Choice Awards and she’s a Member of The Order of Canada. She has nearly 50 solo albums and her repertoire is unimaginably vast.

But for 15 long years she didn’t play a note.

Between five years of caring for her late mother, who had leukemia, and severing her shoulder tendons, which led to reconstructive surgery and a long recovery, a decade-and-a-half had passed with her cello silent. She admits she thought she might never play again.

The unforeseen tragedies of life are known to upend a career, a plan, a life, yet Ofra Harnoy has proven she can not only bounce back from adversity and profound loss, but also reclaim her exceptional musicality, her life and embrace a new vision going forward.  

“In some ways I’m in the best place ever,” she confided recently from her home in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Ofra made her comeback from the 15-year hiatus in a 2018 concert. With a full orchestra, she performed a massive musical program, shocking herself at how ready she actually was. “I felt so strong I thought I could do it all over again right then.” Those difficult years away from playing also altered her perspective. “It gives you a new sense of gratitude and appreciation. I now also do a lot of self-care and maintain the muscles I need to play… I practice every day. You have to keep the muscles and endurance going. Maintaining the technique is the means to get to the musical communication.”

On June 1st she also celebrated her fifth wedding anniversary with her husband, fellow musician, producer and composer Mike Herriott, an award-winning Canadian trumpeter. The two had first met in Toronto back in 1982, fell in love and in unusual circumstances fell apart. They both went on to marry other people. Both later divorced. But in the summer of 2017 Ofra and Mike reconnected in a strange twist of fate and realized it was a misunderstanding that originally drove them apart and that the spark was still burning bright 35 years on. They were married two years later, then moved to Newfoundland where Mike had spent part of his youth. They began building a new life on ‘the rock’, making music in their home studio and performing together. They were highly compatible as partners, but were shocked to realize how in tune they were musically.

“We couldn’t believe the magic when we played together,” says Ofra. “We didn’t know we had that chemistry and we’ve discovered we love making music together.” The couple has produced five albums in their studio, including On the Rock, a selection of songs, jigs and reels that Ofra feels reflect her love and understanding of Newfoundland culture, recorded during the height of the pandemic. In contrast, their 2023 album Portraitis a collection of what she describes as “the kind of songs you sing in the shower, or while you’re cooking”. It includes some of the couple’s favourite pieces by George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, Tchaikovsky and others. For “a teasing taste,” Ofra points to her website or YouTube channel.

In another fortuitous twist of fate, a recording Ofra had done of Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto back in 1995 at Abbey Road Studios in London, England was discovered 26 years after it had been presumed lost. It was remastered and released in 2023.Perhaps best known as a classical cellist, her musical prowess allows her to cross genres seemingly effortlessly. Over the years Ofra has collaborated with a broad range of musicians, including Sting, PlácidoDomingo and Alan Doyle, of Great Big Sea.

She has also performed with Loreena. They first met over 30 years ago. “I don’t remember the exact date, but we hit it off instantly,” says Ofra. “I love her music and we had an incredible connection.” She accompanied Loreena on “The Lady of Shalott” at the 1992 Juno Awards where Loreena won Best Roots/Traditional Album for The Visit, plus she played cello on Loreena’s ground-breaking 1994 recording, The Mask and Mirror, on the song “The Two Trees”.

“It was wonderful to bring such an accomplished cellist as Ofra into our world,” says Loreena. “Her playing is itself other worldly and rich with feeling. I was just listening the other day to ‘The Two Trees’ and the delicacy with which she plays reaches into the soul.”

The Mask and Mirror has since been celebrated for its unique blend of Celtic, Spanish and Moroccan influences. It’s also just been released as a live recording based on a 1994 performance in San Francisco captured for radio syndication in the U.S. and Canada. And in celebration, this summer Loreena is off to Greece, Turkey, Spain, Germany and Italy on The Mask and Mirror 30th Anniversary Tour.

Ofra hasn’t been touring recently, but says plans are in the works for 2025. Meanwhile, she and Mike will be performing together on July 28th in Stratford, Ontario, Loreena’s home base, as part of Stratford Summer Music.

The months ahead will be busy ones for the couple. They’re planning to move back to Toronto in the fall to be closer to their adult children, who live in the city and surrounding area. (They each have two.) Ofra says they’ve loved living in beautiful Newfoundland. The people, the quiet lifestyle, the hiking and kayaking – especially during the enforced isolation of COVID – have all been gifts with benefits. They’re vegans, do yoga together and are both devoted to the daily exercises that maintain the musical muscles they need to play. Says Ofra, “our new alone is being together, but we have a very disciplined life”.

While Ofra Harnoy’s personal world and music have both evolved, a few things have remained unchanged.

“I’ve always been very open about my life experiences. And every time I perform, or I’m in the studio, I give 100 per cent. I’m completely vulnerable and communicate with my heart and soul.”

***

Written by Diane Sewell, a career journalist for more than 30 years. In addition to working with Loreena for 20 years, she has also written for the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and assorted consumer magazines. She is also the author of several commissioned books.

The post Ofra Harnoy’s grateful evolution appeared first on Loreena McKennitt.

The end of an era 13 Jun 2024, 7:40 pm

The end of an era
Loreena stands down from her Honorary Colonel role

After a record-breaking almost 18-year run as an honorary colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Loreena is stepping down from the highly-respected and immensely-rewarding civilian role.

She encapsulated her long tenure in a moving speech and bade a warm farewell to her ‘military family’ during the Royal Canadian Air Force Honorary Colonel Change of Appointment Ceremony in the nation’s capital, Ottawa, on Wednesday June 12th.

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃: HCol McKennitt’s parting remarks
LISTEN: HCol McKennitt’s parting remarks (below)

LEFT TO RIGHT: HCol Renee van Kessel, RCAF CWO John Hall, RCAF Comd LGen E.J. Kenny, HCol Loreena McKennitt at the RCAF Honorary Colonel Change of Appointment, 12  June 2024 at National Defence Headquarters, Ottawa, Canada. Photo: Mark McCauley

And the previous day, while in the Visitors’ Gallery at the House of Commons in the Parliament of Canada, she and LGen Eric Kenny, Commander of the RCAF, received a standing ovation from Members of Parliament for their service.

RCAF Comd LGen Kenny and HCol McKennitt recognized in Canada’s House of Commons during Question Period, 12 June 2024.

From 2006 to 2015 Loreena was honorary colonel of 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron based in Winnipeg, Canada. From 2015 to June 2024 she was honorary colonel of the entire Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada (left), presents Ms Loreena McKennitt with a scroll marking her appointment as the new Honorary Colonel of the Royal Canadian Air Force alongside Lieutenant-General Yvan Blondin, Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force (right) in Québec on 5 September 2014. Photo: Corporal Vicky Lefrancois, D Air PA.

“I accepted this role largely inspired by the sentiment that democracy does not thrive as a spectator sport – that if we care about the democracy we live in we need to all do our part to preserve it, ” she said.

Honorary colonels, whose usual term of service is three years, assume an honorary and advisory role. They act as a bridge between the civilian population and the military, helping to build a public profile for their unit, essentially becoming the public face of it. They also strive to elevate the morale of military members and their families. All appointments are approved by Canada’s Minister of National Defence.

“She is a strong advocate for the military and RCAF and she always took time with our members to hear their stories and share her wisdom,” said RCAF Commander LGen E.J. Kenny at the June 12th ceremony. “Your legacy is one of inspiration and advocacy. You should be tremendously proud of all you have accomplished as an honorary colonel.”

LEFT TO RIGHT: RCAF Comd LGen E.J. Kenny, HCol Loreena McKennitt and RCAF CWO John Hall at the RCAF Honorary Colonel Change of Appointment, 12  June 2024 at National Defence Headquarters, Ottawa, Canada. Photo: Mark McCauley

Also attending the ceremony was Canada’s top military person, General Wayne Eyre, Chief of Defence Staff, as well as John Nater, Perth-Wellington Member of Parliament.

During her nearly 18-year tenure Loreena participated in more than 175 events – everything from mess hall dinners to foreign trips to visit Canadian troops. She attended repatriation ceremonies in her home province of Ontario in Trenton and funerals in Petawawa and Woodstock. She once diverted her tour bus while in Québec to visit the family of a long-serving member of the Canadian forces who had been killed. She performed at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France during the 2017 ceremonies marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

And in 2018 she wrote “Breaking of the Sword”, a song about a mother’s love for her war-bound son, about loss and sacrifice that transcends borders, cultures and time, donating the song’s digital sale proceeds to the Support Our Troops Fund.  She has participated in almost every Remembrance Day service since 2006, most of them at the Cenotaph in her home base of Stratford, Canada, although last year while on tour she sang in Saskatoon, Canada at the largest indoor Remembrance Day service of its kind in the country.”

BREAKING OF THE SWORD: “The inspiration for this piece came to me during a visit to the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France while reflecting on all who had perished there. In this song, I am reminded that all families mourn the loss of their loved one, and that loss transcends borders, cultures and time itself. The soldier’s family mourns, the military ‘family’ mourns, and so does the community from which the soldier came.” ~ Loreena

Loreena was also awarded The Canadian Forces Decoration in December 2019 in recognition of her 12 years of service as an honorary colonel. This past May, National Defence presented her with her second Command Commendation, awarded to recognize deeds or activities beyond the demand of normal duty.

Over the years, the honorary colonel roles have also taken her far and wide, including to Canadian Forces Station Alert in Nunavut, Canada, the northernmost inhabited place in the world. She has also travelled to The United States, The United Kingdom, India, Romania, Lithuania and Kuwait to visit Canadian troops stationed there.

HCol Loreena McKennitt at Canadian Forces Station Alert on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut.

A few weeks ago, on June 1st, she joined over 700 guests at the RCAF Ball In Ottawa in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

In stark contrast, the path that initially led Loreena to her first honorary colonel role was a most tragic one.

“Many people, of course, were surprised to find an artist who sang sensitive Celtic songs to have any association with the military whatsoever… The brutal truth is that this journey began, unbeknownst to me, in 1998 when I lost my fiancé in a boating accident in Georgian Bay.”

When her fiancé, his brother and a friend all drowned that summer she created the Cook-Rees Memorial Fund for Water Search and Safety, which has since raised over $3 million. The tragedy also deeply connected her to the search and rescue community. It was the Trenton, Ontario-based 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force that undertook the search for the three men.

Seven years later, when Loreena was invited to assume the role of honorary colonel for 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron in Winnipeg, in the province of Manitoba, she said “it felt like a good match”. Beholden to the Trenton Squadron and having grown up in Manitoba both represented strong ties to the role. Despite having a successful and demanding musical career and her own recording business, she said yes.

More than 17 years later she was still an honorary colonel.

HCol Loreena McKennitt with RCAF 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron personnel in Cold Lake, Alberta, 2007. PHOTO: RCAF

Loreena’s devotion to her role and her knowledge of the Canadian Forces both grew over the years. She understood the Forces weren’t just about combat, but also search and rescue, disaster relief, peacemaking and peacekeeping. Her respect for the personnel and her understanding of the vital services they perform beyond the battlefield grew exponentially.

And the respect those military personnel had for her also grew exponentially. In a story published by Canada’s Department of National Defence after her appointment in 2015 to honorary colonel of the RCAF, LGen Yvan Blondin, Commander of the RCAF, recounted a story that deeply touched him. He had previously heard Loreena speak at military events about the people in the military – her military ‘family’ – and was impressed.  But when he and his wife attended one of her concerts in Ottawa something clicked.

“Right in the middle of the show she stopped singing and started talking to the crowd … about ‘us’. About her family. About ordinary Canadians doing this job – and people were touched,” he recalled. So later, in 2014, while he was still contemplating who should be invited to be the next honorary colonel of the Air Force, a letter arrived on his desk. It was to Loreena, thanking her for her service with 435 Squadron and it needed his signature.

Said LGen Blondin: “I remembered the way she spoke and the way people listened to her. So I put an ‘X’ on the letter and wrote on the bottom, ‘Dear Loreena, would you become my Air Force honorary colonel’?”

And we know how that turned out.

Loreena McKennitt makes her final remarks as Honorary Colonel of The Royal Canadian Air Force, 12 June 2024 in Ottawa, Canada. Photo: Mark McCauley

“It is my fervent hope that we will all continue to be soldiers of democracy,” Loreena told the audience at the change of appointment ceremony, while recognizing the threat posed by complacency, cynicism and the weaponization of disinformation spread through a largely unregulated internet.

“In the Royal Canadian Air Force and all of the Canadian Armed Forces, we are deeply privileged to have some of the finest men and women in this country. Around, behind and beside them are some of the most remarkable families you will find anywhere. We, as Canadians, owe them all our duty of care,” she said.

“Whether we are automotive workers, or hospitality waiters, singers or soldiers, premiers or plumbers, the time is now to shut down our social media, study our history books, set aside our petty political differences and find the common ground to move forward with a renewed commitment to a way of life our past generations sacrificed so much for.”

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃: HCol McKennitt’s parting remarks
LISTEN: HCol McKennitt’s parting remarks (below)

The post The end of an era appeared first on Loreena McKennitt.

HCol McKennitt Change of Appointment remarks 12 Jun 2024, 3:44 pm

HCol McKennitt – Change of Appointment remarks

June 12, 2024

OTTAWA, CANADA

LISTEN: HCol McKennitt’s parting remarks (below)

 
Chief of Defence Staff – Gen Eyre, MP John Nater (Perth Wellington), Commander – LGen Kenny, LGen Allen, General Officers and Flag Officers, CWO Hall, Vice-Adm Topshee, Ret Lieutenants General Bouchard and Deschamps, HCol Renee van Kessel, Members of the Royal Canadian Air Force. It is a great pleasure to be with you today. (Chef d’état-major de la Défense Canada) Commandant, Chief Hall, invités distingués, bonjour tout le monde. Nous sommes tous des citoyens. C’est un grand plaisir d’être avec vous aujourd’hui.

Kwey, Kakena

Well, the day has finally arrived that I retire this uniform. On some accounts, it may be just as well given it continues to shrink in my closet with every passing year. And yet, I know I will reflect on this part of my life with great fondness, gratitude and pride.

I owe a debt of gratitude to so many faces in this room and to all of those who have served and are serving still.

In this 100th Anniversary year of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), the time seemed right to pass the torch to my successor Renee van Kessel, who I know will do an excellent job. She knows she can call on me any time should the need arise.

It is a great privilege to share a few thoughts with you this afternoon.

As an artist, not coming from a military family, you can imagine I’ve had many people ask me how I came to be an honorary colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

I know when I was first inducted in 2006 I was also touring with my band and crew performing concerts across Canada and into the United States and Europe. I made a deliberate point of mentioning this role, on and off the stage. Many people, of course, were surprised to find that an artist who sang sensitive Celtic songs would have any association with the military whatsoever.

And, there were many comments and conversations on and off our tour buses, including when LGen Charlie Bouchard invited us to tour Cheyenne Mountain at Colorado Springs. But I was delighted to learn that people were most curious and these conversations became a bridge of learning.

I also remember a comment made several years ago by a dear friend of mine, who was serving in the army. He said, “You know, the only difference between your theatre and ours is that we just rehearse for a performance we hope never to give”.

The brutal truth is that this journey began, unbeknownst to me, in 1998 when I lost my fiancé in a boating accident in Georgian Bay.

Ron, along with his brother Rick and work colleague Greg Cook would be lost in this tragedy – and  from this the Cook-Rees Memorial Fund for Water Search and Safety would be born. The families and I would raise between $3 million and $4 million to strengthen the efforts of water safety and rescue around Canada and beyond.

In time, I’d learn that it was the incredible efforts of 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron out of Trenton who undertook the search that fateful day in July of 1998.

So in 2006, when I was invited to hold the honorary colonel position for 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron in Winnipeg – and having grown up in Manitoba – it felt like a good match and I was honoured to accept.

My years of learning and appreciation would begin.

I would later come into this current role, as honorary colonel of the RCAF, in 2015.

It has been an extraordinary 17 years and an education like no other. Indeed, it greatly compensated for what I had not learned in school.

It’s been a privilege to witness first-hand, and often from the back of a Hercules aircraft, re-supply missions to our northern most communities,  search and rescue procedures, air-to-air refuelling during major coalition training exercises in Cold Lake, Alberta and far-reaching national sovereignty operations across Canada and the far North. I experienced the rigours of a Snowbird’s training flight in Moose Jaw and during the Afghan conflict the sobering repatriation ceremonies in Trenton.

I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to theatres including Kuwait, Lithuania and Romania.

And along the way, I came to meet many of the remarkable men and women in the RCAF.

I came to think how similar in many ways this RCAF life was to our own touring infrastructure for concerts.

There were people such as myself at the front of the stage, but there were also the many individuals behind the scenes whose collective efforts were and are indispensable in making each mission a success. It was a great honour to meet so many of them, be it on the hanger floor, in administrative settings, the back of the aircraft, in training simulators, or at the numerous occasions when the Jet Stream Band and string musicians would serenade us into the night. I’d be around long enough to see some of those whom I first met in Winnipeg at 435 Squadron evolve to be leaders who sit before me today.

With the RCAF, I would learn about a culture of humility, rather than hubris, of leadership and a selfless desire to serve. I would grow to understand the value of protocols and lessons learned, as they reached for the highest standards and best practices and I’d bring whatever I learned into my own operations.

I would come to deeply admire and respect their impressive Code of Ethics and their determination to hold their history and traditions close to their hearts and the pride with which they undertake their duties, most often quite invisibly.

In these 17 years, I would also witness herculean efforts in bringing about culture change, as many organizations around this country are striving to do. What the RCAF has achieved in this regard must be considered amongst this nation’s best and perhaps underappreciated. Although the job is never done, the efforts I have witnessed have been reassuring and inspirational.

And I have also found inspiration in my travels, as I have met many of the families who are so crucial in their dedicated support.  Being an older single Mom, with no extended family around me, I would soon develop some small sense of what it would be like to be the spouse of a deployed family member, far away from other family support and with all the challenges which come from moving around, finding child care, doctors, houses, spousal employment and more.

Over the years, people have continued to ask me why I took on this role.

I accepted this role, largely inspired by the sentiment that democracy does not thrive as a spectator sport – that if we care about the democracy in which we live we need to all do our part to preserve and protect it.

Over these past several years, I’ve tried to develop an ‘appreciation of the situation’ as I have studied the ingredients, activities, history and context of the greater Canadian military family.

It’s been important for me to learn and understand that, although the word ‘military’ may conjure up a wide range of associations for different people, our Canadian Armed Forces personnel do so many things which extend far beyond a battle field.

Their mandate includes search and rescue, humanitarian aid, sovereignty patrol, re-supply missions, international peace-keeping, peace-making, and combat roles, not to mention international and domestic disaster relief – and now new challenges with the added domain of space.

It’s been very important for me to get to know our men and women in uniform, where they come from, why they joined, and how they undertake their responsibilities.

It has been equally important to understand how their career paths have affected their ability to have and maintain a family, children, husbands, wives and parents who, behind the scenes, stoically support them every day of the year.

Looking at the Canadian Armed Forces at large, a vital part of this learning has been to take into account the reality that militaries around the world are unto themselves unique entities, endowed with their distinct past and present, and with distinct political and economic associations.

In Canada, we are fortunate to count our military as a relatively neutral instrument, instructed by the government of the day on behalf of Canadians.  As well we know, this is not, nor has always been the case elsewhere in the world.

And because of that, each Canadian government of whatever political stripe, is responsible for what that instrument does on our behalf – and who may die on our behalf.

For that ‘instrument’ is much more than just equipment and protocols. It is the sum of real people and their families who continue to support Canadians, Canada and the international community every day of the year.

We, as citizens, owe it to them to be informed about the work they do, the challenges and risks they face.

For in their neutrality, lies a vulnerability, for which each Canadian citizen holds a duty of care.

I have grown to share the concern, that we, as citizens, have lost touch with how our country is run. That we have become increasingly cynical, apathetic and ill-informed, partially through the absence of instruction of history and governance in our schools, partially through a complacency which may come at times of plenty and peace, partially through the contamination caused by reckless partisan rhetoric, and in recent times the weaponizing of disinformation and misinformation and of artificial intelligence, through unregulated and unaccountable technology companies.

All of these things can affect how our men and women in uniform are deployed and equipped for their duties, and indeed may affect who may be attracted to serve in this honourable profession.

The men and women in the Canadian Forces deserve informed and responsible leadership, who in turn are supported by an informed and involved citizenry.

My travels and experiences have shown the members of the RCAF to be exemplary and often noble individuals. I have found them to be stoic, deeply devoted to their missions and keenly attuned to their professional and moral responsibilities. Wherever they serve, they garner respect and credibility from allies, friends and adversaries alike.

And I have also found them to have a fierce sense of humour in the direst of circumstances.

We, as Canadians, owe them all our duty of care. They are crucial to the life-blood of our nation’s democracy and values.

Although I will be formally moving on from this role, I have come to appreciate that to serve others is our greatest calling and we need not wait to wear a uniform to do our part – for none of us lives for ourselves alone.

Simply, we must be proud of our military.

In reflecting on the future, I am drawn to a quote of Arthur M. Schlesinger: “It is useful to remember that history is to a nation as memory is to the individual. As persons deprived of their memory, they become disorientated and lost. Not knowing where they have been or where they are going. So, a nation denied a conception of its past, will be disabled in dealing with its present and its future.”

So, as I exit this stage left I will leave you with a closing appeal.

As we enter a new era of greater uncertainty we can see the precious principles and values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, under renewed attack.

Authoritarian states are eroding the norms and rules of the international order. Climate change is driving migration and conflict in many parts of the world and increasing our vulnerability to natural disasters at home. Accelerated technological change is reshaping how our wars are fought and demographic and societal norms are rapidly changing.

In this 100^th anniversary year of the Royal Canadian Air Force we are witnessing a tremendous modernization program to meet this advancing need. And we, as Canadians, must appreciate what a great country Canada is and is capable of many things; that we should feel confident that we possess many strengths and advantages which will see us through the coming disorder.

And so, in closing, I would only like to say it is my fervent hope that we will all continue to be soldiers of democracy.

Whether we are automotive workers or hospitality waiters, singers or soldiers, premiers or plumbers, the time is now to shut down our mesmerizing social media and study our history books, set aside our petty political differences, and find the common ground needed to move forward with a renewed commitment to protect a way of life past generations sacrificed so much for.

As accomplished as the Canadian Armed Forces are, they alone cannot preserve democracy. Without question, their lives and the lives of many others, including future generations, are now depending upon all of us.

Our present Canadian Armed Forces are the extension of the history and traditions of the very brave men and women, who ‘took up the fight’ in times of deep crisis.

They came from across this land and so many fought and died in vast numbers in two great wars and more. It is they who have afforded us this life of security, affluence and liberty. Their sacrifices are never to be forgotten.

May we continue to be ambassadors and advocates for diplomacy and respectful discourse when possible, and defenders of the common good when necessary.

May we grow with a sense of trust in and appreciation of each other.

As Canadians and with our allies, we must believe in democracy, human rights and the rule of law. And defending it must begin at home.

To the chief of defense staff, the commander and chief, and all those who have served and are serving still, I thank you.

To all the honorary colonels, I thank you very much for your companionship on this incredible journey.

To my personal assistant Mark McCauley, who has assisted me every inch of the way and continues to do so, my deepest thanks.

Finally, I thank you all for the privilege of serving you.

HCol Loreena McKennitt

The post HCol McKennitt Change of Appointment remarks appeared first on Loreena McKennitt.