Celtic McKennitt woos Turkish fans

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

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Canadian singer and composer Loreena McKennitt, who came to Turkey for two concerts in Istanbul and Bursa, performed in Bursa over the weekend. McKennitt, who performed her first concert Saturday in Istanbul, was on stage Sunday at the Bursa Kültürpark Open Air Theater as part of the 48th International Bursa Festival.

A world-known name of eclectic Celtic music, McKennitt first came to the country 13 years ago as part of the International Istanbul Jazz Festival.

McKennitt was seen by nearly 3,000 music lovers at her Bursa concert Sunday. She appeared on stage saying, "İyi akşamlar," goodnight in Turkish, and performed songs including "The Mummer’s Dance," "The Gates of Istanbul" and "She Moved Through the Fair." She also shared with her fans "Caravanserai," a piece she wrote during her travel to Turkey. The artist, who plays harp, piano, clavier and accordion, thanked the audience after each song.

Questions asked about Fethullah Gülen

McKennitt attended a press conference before the concert and said the city of Bursa welcomed her warmly and that Turkish people were very hospitable. As for the claims that she sympathized with Fethullah Gülen, a prominent religious figure in Turkey, McKennitt said: "I love to listen to various groups, personalities and views. I was just invited to a dinner in Canada and I attended. I also have very good ideas about Turkey."

Upon a question on whether she has thought about working with representatives of Sufi music since her music is similar, McKennitt said she didn’t know if she would work with them but that Sufi music had influence on her music.

When she asked if a Canadian director proposed that she make music for a film project featuring the Ottoman period, she said she had received such a proposal but that the project had already been initiated, adding that she would be very happy to take part in such a project.

Taking about her unrealized dreams, McKennitt said there were a lot of things that did not come true; for example, she wanted to perform more concerts in historical places like Cappadocia in central Anatolia. "Many people came from Azerbaijan and even Israel for my concert in Istanbul. The concert received great demand from local people as well as foreign ones," she said. "I am very happy to be together with these people."

McKennitt said she loved animals and that she always wanted to be a veterinarian. "But this dream of mine did not come true," she said. "I also wanted to be a part of wildlife but that was not realized, either. I love spending time with people. Many people were waiting in front of the door in Istanbul concert. We were not able to go out for some time. When I came to Turkey 13 years ago, I posed with many people and got gifts from them. All these people were at the concert yesterday. They showed me the things that reminded me of 13 years ago. It was a very nice experience." McKennitt will also perform a concert in northern Cyprus on Tuesday.