Lanterns made by care home residents in Wrexham will honour Gresford Colliery Disaster victims at the world premiere of a new opera about the tragedy.
The commemorative lanterns will be illuminated at the opening night of the North Wales International Music Festival (NWIMF) at St Asaph Cathedral on September 12.
It will be the first-ever performance of Gresford: Up From Underground.
The opera is a tribute to the 90th anniversary of the disaster where 266 men and boys were killed.
The lanterns were crafted by the art group at Pendine Park care organisation with each of the 266 lanterns bearing the name of a victim.
Among those who died was a distant relation of care home resident Phil Davies, a member of the art group, who takes pride in contributing to the commemoration of one of Britain's most tragic coal mining accidents.
The opera's music was composed by Wrexham-born Jonathan Guy, with words by Coedpoeth-born poet Grahame Davies.
The premiere is sponsored by Pendine Park through its Pendine Arts and Community Trust.
The trust was created by Pendine Park owners Mario and Gill Kreft to support cultural and community initiatives.
Pendine Park also has a personal connection to the Gresford disaster, having cared for Albert Rowlands, the last living survivor of the tragedy, until his death aged 100 in 2020.
Albert escaped the disaster at the age of 15 but lost his father in the accident.
He lived out his later years at Gwen Alyn residential home in Wrexham.
Sarah Edwards, artist-in-residence at Pendine Park, 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.”
The festival programme and tickets are available online at www.nwimf.com.
Tickets are also available from Cathedral Frames, St Asaph, 01745 582929.
The lanterns will be on display on the windowsills of St Asaph Cathedral during the festival and will be moved to St Giles Church for the performances at Wrexham on September 21 and 22.
The production will involve professional singers and young musicians from local schools.
The first half of the opera tells the story of the Gresford disaster, while the second half focuses on the regeneration that followed as local communities started to rebuild.
The project was funded by the Arts Council of Wales, Tŷ Cerdd, and the Shared Prosperity Fund for Wrexham.
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