Loreena McKennitt - Dante’s Prayer (Live at Vimy Ridge 100th commemoration)

Full commemoration: “Just days after wrapping up her 24-date A Trio Performance tour across the E.U. and U.K., Loreena will join other performers and dignitaries at the commemorative ceremony to be held at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France. The event marks the 100th anniversary of the historic Battle of Vimy Ridge and will include numerous heads of state, members of the royal family, military officials and tens of thousands of civilians. “It is an incredible honour to be a part of this important ceremony,” says Loreena, who is also the Honorary Colonel of the Royal Canadian Air Force and an active supporter of the broader Canadian forces community and their families. “I expect we will all be extremely moved by the resonance of what that battle meant to Canada and the scale of human loss involved.” Loreena will perform one song during the ceremony, “Dante’s Prayer,” from The Book of Secrets, her sixth studio album and a worldwide chart success. She will be accompanied by fellow musicians Brian Hughes on guitar, Hugh Marsh on violin and Caroline Lavelle on cello. The First World War victory at Vimy Ridge was a defining moment for Canada and it was the first time all four divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces fought together. But the history-making battle came at great cost. More than 10,000 troops were killed and wounded. The Canadian National Vimy Memorial honours all Canadians who died in the war. It sits on the highest point of Vimy Ridge, was designed by Canadian Walter Seymour Allward, and it took 11 years to build. As many of you may already know, Loreena was appointed in 2013 to the rank of Knight of the National Order of Arts and Letters by the Republic of France.“