The Miners’ Hymns

Saturday, February 8, 2014, 8 PM
At the Moss Arts Center, 190 Alumni Mall, Blacksburg, VA 24061
In the Street and Davis Performance Hall's Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre
$20-$30 general admission, $10 students with ID and children 18 and under

“Elegant, elegiac... enthralling.” — The New York Times

“Voiceless, almost textless... a beautiful and devastating work, having the weight of tragedy.” — Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker

The story of this inspired documentary by American multi-media artist Bill Morrison and Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson is told entirely without words, with a remarkable original score featuring string quartet and 18-piece brass section. Using rarely seen archival footage The Miners’ Hymns focuses on England’s Durham coalfield, depicting the hardship of pit work, increasing mechanization, and trade unions’ fight for workers’ rights. This concert program will feature a brass orchestra composed of musicians from throughout the Roanoke and New River Valleys.

Program Notes



BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE

Noon-8 p.m.; Free
Visual arts exhibitions open

Directly before The Miners’ Hymns, the Coal Mining Heritage Association of the New River Valley will display artifacts—including their “tailgate museum"—and share stories about local coal mining history from 7-7:45 p.m.



Related Videos



  • Film still: Creswell and Longworth Miners. Mitchell & Kenyon 1900 (BFI)