Townsman, 1991-09, Page 9lated musical — as one of a group of
people performing short parts from
various musicals, like Carousel — at
The Hollow Mug, a place by the Win-
nipeg Airport. I did two shows a night
there."
Every once -in -a -while, she says, the
performers were given the opportunity
to do solo spots, which ultimately led
to appearances in coffee houses and a
segment on CBC Radio. Professional-
ly this was the beginning, though she
didn't yet have her full focus on the
genre of folk music at that point.
"I was instinctively drawn in 1978 to
a folk club, that had some members
from the British Isles. I was haunted
by the music I would hear and that
was when I began to focus, most
specifically to the Celtic harp."
Through a series of events that grad-
ually brought her more into the
public eye she began to work
her way east, until eventually
settling at her present home
near Stratford. It began, she
says in 1978, after winning the
Du Maurier and CBC talent
competition. With the prize
came the committment on her
part, to travel to Toronto and
tape segments for some pro-
grams. She ultimately
made connections in
Toronto, which led to
subsequent trips, from her
Manitoba home, until one
such trip brought her to
Stratford and its cultural
and esthetic beauty even-
tually enticed her stay.
The year before John Hirsch took over
as Stratford Festival's Artistic Direc-
tor Ms McKennitt auditioned for and
got a part in the production of the
HMS Pinafore. The following year
she was invited by Mr. Hirsch to be
part of the company and acted in such
productions as Julius Caesar, in addi-
tion to compos-
ing the
music for and performing in the
Young Company's production of Two
Gentlemen of Verona.
In 1984, she got her first Celtic harp,
which is a smaller, version than the
more familiar, traditional harp. The
Celtic harp has no pedals to change
keys and produces a thinner sound
than its cousin. In 1985 Ms McKen-
nitt began making and dis-
tributing her own
records. (Her
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TOWNSMAN/SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 1991 7