A series of seasonal concerts held in a historic sanctuary in Stratford, Ontario in December 2021 were recorded live and released as Loreena’s 16th album, entitled Under A Winter’s Moon.

The album features 15 seasonal songs interspersed with seasonal readings by Canadian Indigenous actor and Companion of the Order of Canada recipient, Tom Jackson and Gemini Award-winning actor Cedric Smith.

Two singles which were the encores at her original performance will be available Nov. 21 as a limited-edition seven-inch vinyl single featuring the popular hymn about love and global peace, “Silent Night,” and the rustic English song “The King,” which celebrates the New Year and is sung in wassail style, with the entire band joining in. The newly-released encore songs will also be available to digital services Nov. 21st and Under A Winter’s Moon will be re-uploaded in an expanded edition with the two songs included. PRE-ORDER TODAY!

Celebrate the holiday season with Loreena's enchanting Under A Winter’s Moon concert. The live performance of carols and tales blends Celtic, Indigenous, and Welsh cultures and includes Gemini Award-winning actor Cedric Smith performing the magical A Child’s Christmas in Wales. It begins with Ojibway artist Christin Dennis, also known as Gzhiiquot/Fast Moving Cloud, presenting the story of Skywoman.

Performing with Ms. McKennitt are Caroline Lavelle on cello and recorders, and members of the Celtic group The Bookends, including Errol Fischer on fiddle, Pete Watson on guitar and bouzouki, Cait Watson on Irish whistle and Romano DiNillo as guest percussionist. Prepare to be transported to a world of music and spoken word that connects with our past and awakens the spirit of the season with such favourites as “Coventry Carol,” “Good King Wenceslas” and the “Huron Carol”.

Encores
Limited Edition 7″ Vinyl Featuring “Silent Night” and “The King”
An artist store exclusive
Available November 21
Pre-Order Today
Six-panel
two-CD digipak
Order Today
Three-LP
180 gram vinyl album
six-panel gatefold
Order Today

A series of seasonal concerts held in a historic sanctuary in Stratford, Ontario in December 2021 were recorded live and are now being released by Juno Award-winning Canadian artist Loreena McKennitt as her 16th album, entitled Under A Winter’s Moon.

The album features 15 seasonal songs performed by McKennitt, interspersed with seasonal readings by Canadian Indigenous actor and Companion of the Order of Canada recipient, Tom Jackson and Gemini Award-winning actor Cedric Smith.

It is offered as a six-panel, two-CD digipak, a three-LP black vinyl gate fold and available digitally, mixed in Dolby Atmos surround sound.

“On a handful of winter’s nights close to the solstice of December 2021, my musical friends and I wove this miscellany of music and spoken word,” writes McKennitt in the new album’s liner notes. “…I sought to incorporate elements of the oral traditions found in many cultures – to capture, inspire and reconnect us with our past, while offering a reminder of the people of those times and what their manner of communication meant in their lives and might mean still.”

The album features such seasonal favourites as “Coventry Carol”, “Good King Wenceslas” and the “Huron Carol”. The first set begins with Jackson reading The Sky Woman Story, an Indigenous creation story. The whole second set embodies Smith’s reading, in six parts, of A Child’s Christmas in Wales, a moving and nostalgic piece of prose by the late Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, interspersed with some of Loreena’s favourite carols.

Loreena produced the record and in addition to vocals plays harp, keyboard and accordion. She’s accompanied by Caroline Lavelle on cello and recorders, Graham Hargrove on percussion, Errol Fischer on fiddle, Pete Watson on guitar and 12-string bouzouki, and Cait Watson on Irish whistle. All these musicians also added back-up vocals for the performance.

Under A Winter’s Moon was recorded at Knox Church in Stratford, Ontario, Canada then mixed and mastered by multi-award-winning engineer, mixer, producer and editor Jeff Wolpert at Desert Fish in Toronto.