Charlottetown–The Confederation Centre’s 45-member youth touring choir leaves on Tuesday, April 3, for the trip of a lifetime to Europe.
The highlight of the trip will be the choir’s performance at the dedication ceremony for the newly-restored Canadian National Vimy Memorial on April 9. The choir will also participate in a commemorative event at the Vimy Memorial on Saturday, April 7, and a Freedom of the City ceremony in Arras on Sunday, April 8.
They will be among thousands of Canadians, primarily youth, who will attend the Vimy anniversary and dedication. The choir members, ages ten to 22, and their director Donald Fraser have been raising funds for the trip over the past year.
April 9, 2007, marks the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge during the First World War. During the battle, the Canadians troops accomplished what other allied forces could not – the capture of Vimy Ridge. More than 10,000 Canadian troops were casualties of the battle, 3,598 of which were fatal. Nearly 620,000 Canadian men and women served in the First World War, of whom more than 66,000 were killed. Of those who returned to Canada, only two survive today.
“It is a great honour and a wonderful learning experience for Chorus members to perform at the Vimy Memorial dedication,” says Fraser, director of the Confederation Centre’s choral music program. “They will also be immersed in the history and culture of Europe when they perform in Paris and Brussels.”
During the trip, they will give three other performances. On Maundy Thursday, April 5, the choir will perform during a Holy Week service at the American Church in Paris at 8 p.m. They will also sing at a Good Friday service on April 6 at Sainte-Elisabeth Church in Paris at 7 p.m.
On April 12, they will give a free concert at the Eglise Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg in Brussels, Belgium, at 7:30 p.m. Eglise Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg is located close to the Royal Palace, which is used by the Belgian royal family for official occasions. Members of Belgian royalty sometimes attend services in the church.
The group will be accompanied by pianist Sara White and organist Janet MacFarlane Peaker.
The Confederation Centre’s choral music program is sponsored by Maritime Electric Ltd.
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