Men of the Deeps to perform at Elliot Lake

A male choir consisting mostly of maritimers who sing about mining will add a note of cheer to this year’s Canada Day festivities in Elliot Lake, Ont.

The Men of the Deeps choir has been booked to perform on July 2 at 8 p.m. at the town’s Lester B. Pearson Civic Centre Theatre. Their repertoire consists mostly of mining songs, though they also perform spirituals and traditional folk songs.

Based in Glace Bay, N.S., the choir consists of about 30 coal miners, some of whom are retired. They have been performing for more than 30 years.

The group’s musical director is John O’Donnell, a retired professor of music, who received the Order of Canada for his work with the ensemble. O’Donnell is an authority on coal mining songs and has published a collection entitled And Now The Fields Are Green: A Collection of Coal Mining Songs in Canada.

During the 70s and early 80s, the group released five LPs. Their first compact disc, released in 1992, is called Diamonds in the Rough, and they have just recorded a second, with Canadian folksinger Rita MacNeil.

For tickets to the performance in Elliot Lake, phone 1-888-816-6416.