“But here’s a wonder for you, the biggest of them all,
how could our mine disaster have gone beyond recall.
It’s the story of injustice the world has never heard.
It should have been remembered, should have been a household word.”
The Ivors Academy Award nominated opera Gresford, Up From Underground, is a dramatic retelling of the Gresford Mining Disaster – one of the worst coal mining disasters in UK history.
Commissioned in 2024 to mark 90 years since the Gresford Colliery Disaster which claimed 266 lives, the purpose of the Opera is to guarantee that the story of Gresford is never forgotten. The explosion in 1934 devastated the local community of Gresford and left emotional and physical scars on the surrounding area of Wrexham for generations.
The themes explored in the opera resonate now just as much as they did at the time of the disaster. Feelings of despair, loss and injustice evolve into sentiments of resilience, determination, and finally resurgence, qualities that can be seen in the people of Wrexham and former mining communities across the UK.
Gresford, Up From Underground was commissioned by NEW Sinfonia and the North Wales International Music Festival. The first performances took place at St Asaph Cathedral and St Giles’ Church, Wrexham in September 2024 to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the Gresford Mining Disaster. The composition and libretto has been nominated for an Ivors Academy Classical Award for Best Community and Participation Composition.
This revival production is funded by the Arts Council of Wales, UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and Colwinston Charitable Trust.
Composer – Jon Guy
Librettist – Grahame Davies
Director – Ruth Evans
Musical Director – Robert Guy
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