Commemorative lanterns made by care home residents to remember the victims of the Gresford colliery disaster will be lit up at the world premiere of a new opera about it.
The opening night of the North Wales International Music Festival (NWIMF) at St Asaph Cathedral on Thursday, September 12 will see the first ever performance of Gresford: Up From Underground, written to mark the 90th anniversary of the tragedy in which 266 men and boys were killed.
It will be performed at St Asaph Cathedral by the NEW Sinfonia orchestra and its associated community choir, NEW Voices. There will be two performances, one at 5.30pm and one at 8pm.
Among those who died was a distant relation of care home resident Phil Davies, who’s a member of the art group at the Pendine Park care organisation in Wrexham who made the lanterns.
Phil is proud that his handiwork will help mark a milestone anniversary of one of Britain’s worst ever coal mining accidents.
Each of the 266 lanterns has the name of a victim written in white on their bases which were painted black to represent coal.
The music for the new opera – co-commissioned by royal composer Paul Mealor, the festival’s Artistic Director – was written by Wrexham-born composer Jonathan Guy and Coedpoeth-born poet Grahame Davies penned the words.
Jonathan’s brother, Robert Guy, with whom he founded NEW Sinfonia more than 10 years ago, will conduct the piece.
NEW Sinfonia and 120-strong NEW Voices choir will also perform it on two nights at St Giles Church, Wrexham, on the anniversary weekend itself, September 21 and 22.
The decorative lanterns will be displayed and illuminated during the performances at both venues in tribute to all the victims of the disaster.
The concerts in Wrexham are part of a month long series of events being staged under the umbrella title ‘Remembering Gresford’ organised by NEW Sinfonia in partnership with Wrexham Miners Project.
Pendine Park Artist in Residence, Sarah Edwards said: “The anniversary has a special significance and resonance for everyone here.
“So many of our staff and residents have grown up knowing the history of the disaster. We have friends whose families were affected and some like Phil have ancestors who were among those killed.
“Between us we have hand-made 266 lanterns, one for each of the men killed. Each lantern has the name of a victim written in white on its black base.”
Pendine Park is sponsoring the premiere performance of Gresford: Up From Underground at the North Wales International Music Festival through its Pendine Arts and Community Trust (PACT).
The trust was established by Pendine Park owners Mario and Gill Kreft to support cultural and community initiatives.
Pendine Park also has another reason for wanting to support the Gresford colliers’ cause after caring for Albert Rowlands who was the last living survivor of the disaster until his death aged 100 in 2020.
Albert lived out his later years at Gwen Alyn residential home in Wrexham.
As a 15 year old he was a lamp-boy who escaped the explosion and subsequent raging fire, but his father was one of the miners who died.
Sarah said: “Albert is remembered fondly by fellow residents and carers at Gwern Alyn and he has been very much in our minds as we have been making the lanterns.
“It’s true to say this has been quite a poignant project for us all, but one which we were determined to complete to the best of our abilities in honour of those killed and their families still surviving today.”
Each lantern’s transparent surround is made from acetate upon which Pendine’s residents have painted different images of a night sky to represent the time when the disaster struck. They will be illuminated by hundreds of tiny fairy lights.
They will be placed on the windowsills of St Asaph Cathedral during the festival and then moved to St Giles Church for the performances at Wrexham.
There will be two evening performances at Wrexham at 8pm on September 21 and 22, plus a matinee show which is being staged especially for local schools on September 20.
Sarah said: “Each resident has completed several lanterns. We have used glass paint to draw some of the images, while others have been created using a tissue paper stained glass effect. The rest are made up of collaged photos, images and text.
“We only had a short time to finish the lanterns and our residents did remarkably well to get so many completed in time for the performances. They have been totally committed to doing this as they know how important a project it is for the whole of Wrexham.”
In the run up to the art project the residents watched a video presentation about the disaster and learned about how the opera was inspired by the events of that terrible night.
Pendine Park resident Tony Ithell is a keen amateur artist and long-standing member of the art group. He said he had very much enjoyed creating the lanterns and was pleased to think the work of all the residents will be seen by the opera audiences.
Fellow resident Lynn Kelly added: “It was interesting learning to use the different vibrant colours to create an illuminous night sky.”
The new opera work has been funded by the Arts Council of Wales, Tŷ Cerdd and the Shared Prosperity Fund for Wrexham.
The production will involve professional singers in addition to the volunteers who make up NEW Voices choir, and young musicians from local schools will play alongside the NEW Sinfonia orchestra for part of the performance.
The first half of the opera tells the story of the Gresford disaster but the second half focuses on the story of regeneration which followed it as local communities started to rebuild.
Further details about the North Wales International Music Festival programme are available online at www.nwimf.com. Tickets are also available from Cathedral Frames, St Asaph, 01745 582929 (Weds-Fri, 10am-4pm) or Theatr Clwyd, Mold, 01352 344101 (Mon–Sat, 10am-6pm).
For tickets and more information about the performances at St Giles Church, Wrexham, visit https://www.newsinfonia.org.uk/gresford
