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FYI

Loreena McKennitt: The Queen Of Celtic Soul Music

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Loreena McKennitt: The Queen Of Celtic Soul Music

By External Source

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My starting point is the belief that, in one way or another, we are all an extension of each other’s history. Wanting to learn about our neighbours is also a desire to learn about ourselves. I have simply chosen the Celtic vehicle in which to do this. No doubt I could have chosen another conduit for my music – let’s say the history of hats – and experienced just as interesting a journey as I have had with Celtic history. But that vehicle has taken me to so many places and people worldwide and also down paths and into themes with little Celtic connection whatsoever.

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But music is not only a marvelous medium for self-education and creative expression. I am also in awe of music’s unique capacity to induce and enhance moods and psychological states and the great linkages it has to physiology. This is illustrated in the field of music therapy, not only for humans but also for animals. I think of dairy farmers who pipe in classical music to induce cows to give more milk, or of a recent film set in Mongolia called The Story of the Weeping Camel, in which a mother camel rejects her calf only to reclaim it following a musical ritual. I think of the MIT professor who uses MRI scans to study the impact on the brain of the meditation and chanting of Kundalini yoga.

I am deeply interested in these connections between physiology and our spiritual and psychological beings, and the many events and experiences that inspire us. Surely some creativity comes from this set of intersections..."

Excerpted from 'About Loreena McKennitt' and written by Loreena McKennitt

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Gracie Abrams
Abby Waisler
Gracie Abrams
Concerts

Chart-Topper Gracie Abrams Hits Toronto’s Budweiser Stage: Canadian Concerts of the Week

Plus, The Weeknd continues his Canadian trek on his After Hours ‘Til Dawn tour, while Punjabi artist Karan Aujla brings his chart-worthy discography to Montreal.

This week, there are many events to keep music fans busy nationwide — from a Gen Z darling artist performing a singular Canadian date in Toronto to an award-winning Punjabi artist at Montreal's Bell Centre.

Concert of the Week

Gracie Abrams, Budweiser Stage, Toronto — July 26

Since the release of her sophomore record, 2024’s The Secret of Us — which peaked at No. 1 on the Canadian Albums chart — Gracie Abrams has reached mega pop stardom. The Gen-Z singer-songwriter is bringing The Secret of Us Deluxe tour to Toronto’s Budweiser Stage for one night. In the past year, Abrams has amassed viral hits like “I Love You I’m Sorry” and “That’s So True” — with the latter hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Canada Hot 100 for two weeks.

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