Tin! A Minor Opera

Sunday May 5 2024
3:00pm - 4:00pm AEST
Liston Community Hall

TIN! A Minor Opera is a show about the great tin rush of the Granite Belt region in the late 1800s. It celebrates the verse of local Liston poet and tin miner Bill Prentice, with original music by Joce Wolfe.

“It all began with thinking about the sounds of tin mining, in the silence of the bush, and seeing the collection of historical documents and photos on the walls of this hall. And Bill Prentice’s name came up—he was clearly someone who knew about tin mining and the history of the area. Then to discover that he is both a visual artist and a poet, well, that sent me dreaming and scheming about tin. The name came first: It had to be a play on miner/minor. It was too good an opportunity to miss. Whether or not it’s actually an opera, I’ll leave that up to you.

Bill and his wife, Jill, mined tin at Ruby Creek on and off for several decades, from the 1970s. Through conversations with Bill and Jill over cups of tea, old, faded photos and trinkets, I tried to get a sense of what it was like working the tin mines—the sights and sounds, and asked Bill if we could commission him to write a set of poems about tin mining in the area. I set them musically, with a bit of drama and whimsy (this needed some modification of the original verses).

The premiere performance of TIN! delivered something for everyone—from bush ballads to contemporary jazz, and storytelling amidst soundscapes that recreated the era through unique instrumentation: a little jaunt through tin mining, the industry that saved Queensland from bankruptcy after the financial crash of 1866!”
—Joce Wolfe

Composer: Joce Wolfe  
Orchestrator, Arranger: Erik Griswold
Eugene Gilfedder - Voice 
Merinda Dias - Jayasinha - Voice
Shenzo Gregorio - Violin
Glenn Barry - Yidaki
Helen Svoboda - Bass
Erik Griswold - Keyboard
Vanessa Tomlinson - Percussion
Stage Manager: Bruce Wolfe 

“A Liston Community Hall audience at the weekend was treated to some world-renowned performers for the premiere of TIN!, an exploration of the history of tin mining in the Granite Belt. That history is told through the poetry of local tin miner poet Bill Prentice, set to music with influences from bush balladry to contemporary jazz.”
—Ms Janelle Saffin MP

The Gallery