After three highly-successful runs in Canada and the US, Loreena McKennitt is taking her trio performance to 20 cities in central Europe this March, including Gateshead, marking her first concerts there since 2012.

The critically-acclaimed performances feature music and stories inspired by McKennitt’s exotic travels in pursuit of the history of the Celts – from China and Mongolia to central Turkey and Ireland. It is enriched with the interlacing of mystical Irish poems by Yeats and such classical writers as Shakespeare and Tennyson and includes material from her 2012 Grammy-nominated recording Troubadours on the Rhine, recorded in Mainz, Germany in 2011.

Joining her are two of her long-time musical collaborators, guitarist Brian Hughes and cellist Caroline Lavelle.

Traditionally performing with her band in large concert halls around the world, Loreena’s latest tour takes a more intimate approach and is entwined with personal and inspiring stories that directly connect with the audience.