Temperatures today were into the mid-teens (Celsius) with some great sun. I was out for a meeting in mid-afternoon and enjoyed the walk in the warmth. When the meeting was over it was already cooling off as the sun sets earlier this week. After a quick supper of a great spicy tomato orzo soup from a little shop on Main Street paired with a cheese sandwich, I headed back to campus for a concert. The high school band and a quintet of young female singers opened for Men of the Deeps, the coal miners choir from Cape Breton. This is their 50th anniversary year. Their conductor and arranger for those years retired last year, and was feted by the group on his home turf here in town. Their new conductor is a high school music teacher on Cape Breton (his father sings with the choir), arranged a tour of the province with accompaniment from high school bands -- an amazing idea.
I've seen Men of the Deeps a couple of times when they've come to town. I was familiar with them from television specials before I moved to the Maritimes. Tonight did not disappoint. The group members are getting older -- as we all are <smile> -- but their voices are fantastic. They visited with the audience during intermission and after the concert ended. I bought their new CD -- a composite of songs from the past 50 years along with 3 new recordings. I'm looking forward to listening to this one. Several of my favourites are included.
The songs shared here today were sung tonight. This recording from a concert years back includes two songs, one of which is preceded by a poem. This second song is a tribute to a mining disaster from 1992 a half hour away from town. Interestingly, the Men of the Deeps were in our town performing that night. One of the singers had a son who was a dragerman, a rescue worker in that mine that night. I can't imagine what that would have been like for them that night. Enjoy!
Dust in the Air & Their Lights will Shine -- Men of the Deeps
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