Loreena McKennitt on her "The Visit Revisited 30th Anniversary Tour"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (September 13, 2023) –– The Kimmel Cultural Campus, in association with Emporium Presents, brings composer, singer, and businesswoman Loreena McKennitt and her The Visit Revisited 30th Anniversary Tour to the Miller Theater on October 20, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. In a recording career spanning more than two decades, McKennitt’s ‘eclectic Celtic’ music has received critical acclaim worldwide, with gold, platinum, and multi-platinum sales awards in 15 countries across four continents.

McKennitt’s masterful songwriting, ethereal soprano voice, and imaginative arrangements, combined with her passion for traditional Celtic music and world music influences, have forged her own distinctive genre. Born in Morden, Manitoba, Canada, she moved to Stratford, Ontario, in 1981, where she initially worked with Canada’s renowned Stratford Festival. In 1985, she established her own record label, Quinlan Road, a move which has made her a rarity in the music industry. In the early years, Ms. McKennitt ran the operation from her kitchen table, selling her recordings by mail order and producing her own concert tours. Today, she leads her own company with responsibilities that include everything from creating strategic business plans to overseeing marketing and promotion.

“Loreena McKennitt is a force of nature,” said Frances Egler, Vice President of Theatrical Programming & Presentations on the Kimmel Cultural Campus. “With every note, she transports us to distant lands, weaving stories of love, loss, and the timeless power of music. A night with McKennitt is a journey of the spirit and will captivate audiences when she brings her Visit Revisited anniversary tour to Philadelphians.”

To date, she has sold over 14 million albums with a catalogue that includes seven studio recordings, three seasonal recordings, a live in-concert DVD, and two DVD documentaries.  She’s won two Junos (Canada’s premier music award), garnered two Grammy^® nominations, and has performed for Her Majesty the Late Queen Elizabeth II. On March 8, 2023, McKennitt was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. A permanent exhibit will be dedicated to McKennitt at the National Music Center in Calgary.

Ms. McKennitt’s business acumen is also applied to the three charitable foundations she established. Her Three Oaks Foundation provides financial support to cultural, environmental, historical, and social groups. The Cook-Rees Memorial Fund for Water Search and Safety, founded in 1998, has raised more than $4 million in support of water safety education, as well as search, rescue, and recovery operations. In 2000, Ms. McKennitt purchased a recently closed public school in Stratford and transformed it into the Falstaff Family Centre. Responding to concerns identified by the local community, the Centre focuses on the needs of families and children in Perth County, Ontario, which is where she resides.

Ms. McKennitt’s passion for business is matched by her passion for human rights. In 2006 and 2007 she was involved in a landmark human rights privacy case in Britain, where the courts ruled in her favor. The judgment, which was upheld by the House of Lords, has helped to advance privacy laws around the world.

Ms. McKennitt is a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Manitoba. In 2002 and 2012, she was the recipient of Late Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals, and in 2013 she was appointed to the rank of Knight of the National Order of Arts and Letters by the Republic of France.

From 2006 to 2013, McKennitt held the position of Honorary Colonel of the 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron in the Royal Canadian Air Force and upon completion of the appointment was awarded the RCAF Commander’s Commendation in recognition of outstanding professionalism and dedication. In September 2014, she was appointed as the Honorary Colonel of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

She also holds honorary degrees from the University of Manitoba (Winnipeg), Sir Wilfrid Laurier University (Waterloo), Queen’s University (Kingston), and George Brown College (Toronto).

In 2021, McKennitt marked the 30-year anniversary of her ground-breaking album The Visit by releasing a special Definitive Edition package including archival materials. She recently wrapped her Under a Winter’s Moon Tour and released a new album of the same title featuring carols and readings by Indigenous actor Tom Jackson, Gemini award-winning actor Cedric Smith, and Ojibway artist and flautist Jeffrey “Red” George.

Other featured upcoming performances on the Kimmel Cultural Campus include Eddie Izzard – The Remix: The First 35 Years (September 14 – 15, Miller Theater); Tony Hinchcliffe: Fully Groan Tour (September 29, 2023, Miller Theater); Sir Patrick Stewart: Making it So (October 3, 2023, Perelman Theater); Aunty Donna: The Magical Dead Cat Tour (October 7, 2023, Perelman Theater); My Brother, My Brother and Me (October 11, 2023, Miller Theater); Nurse Blake: Shock Advised Tour (October 14, 2023, Miller Theater); The Moth Mainstage (October 21, 2023, Miller Theater); A Tribute to Jerry Blavat (October 21, 2023, Academy of Music); An Evening with the Late John Cleese (October 25, 2023, Academy of Music); Steve Martin & Martin Short: You Won’t Believe What They Look Like Today! (October 27, 2023, Academy of Music); Golden Girls – The Laughs Continue (October 27 – 28, 2023, Miller Theater); Brit Floyd: 50 Years of Dark Side (November 4, 2023, Miller Theater); Rumours of Fleetwood Mac (November 7, 2023, Miller Theater); The Wait Wait Stand Up Tour (November 10, 2023, Miller Theater); Jimmy Carr: Terribly Funny (November 11, 2023, Miller Theater); and Ira Glass and Etgar Keret (November 15, 2023, Miller Theater).

Tickets

Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org. In-person ticket sales can be conducted daily from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. at the Academy of Music Box Office, located at 240 S. Broad Street. See www.kimmelculturalcampus.org for more information.

Loreena McKennitt: The Visit Revisited 30th Anniversary Tour

Miller Theater on the Kimmel Cultural Campus

Friday, October 20, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.

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KIMMEL CULTURAL CAMPUS

Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, our mission is to engage the region's diverse communities with art through performance and education. Our Cultural Campus serves more than 1-million guests per year and includes Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, and SEI Innovation Studio), the Academy of Music, and the Miller Theater (formerly the Merriam Theater) – representing more than 160 years of rich history for the performing arts along Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts. We are home to The Philadelphia Orchestra and esteemed Resident Companies: Opera Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ballet, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Curtis Institute of Music. With nearly 9,000 seats per night, we are the region's most impactful performing arts center, and the second largest in the country. Our Cultural Campus serves as a preeminent and inclusive place to enjoy exceptional experiences that reflect the spirit of our region by cultivating a creative and socially responsible environment where our community shares experiences that are delivered with pride, integrity, and respect. As a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization, we collaborate on, present, and produce a broad range of relevant and meaningful events, we serve as an active gathering space for social and community events, we educate the region's young people through access to quality arts experiences, and we provide support to artists in the creation of new work. Read Kimmel Cultural Campus' vision statement, world view, and mission statement here. Learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and how it encompasses our mission, coworkers, and programs here.

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