Anthracite Fields

Anthracite Fields is an oratorio for choir and chamber ensemble by the American composer Julia Wolfe. The work was commissioned by the Mendelssohn Club with contributions from New Music USA and was premiered by Bang on a Can All Stars and the Mendelssohn Club Chorus in Philadelphia, April 26, 2014.[1] It was awarded the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Music.[2][3]

The oratorio commemorates the history of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Coal Region in what the Pulitzer Prize citation described as "a powerful oratorio for chorus and sextet evoking Pennsylvania coal-mining life around the turn of the 20th Century."[1][4] Music critic Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times praised the composition as "an unforgettably haunting, harrowing evocation of the plight of Pennsylvania's coal miners, incorporating many musical styles and effectively shadowy visuals."[5]

  1. ^ a b Oteri, Frank J. (April 20, 2015). "Julia Wolfe Wins 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Music". NewMusicBox. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  2. ^ "See the 2015 Pulitzer Prize Winners and Finalists". Time. April 20, 2015. Archived from the original on April 21, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  3. ^ Huizenga, Tom (April 20, 2015). "Julia Wolfe Wins Music Pulitzer For 'Anthracite Fields'". Deceptive Cadence. NPR. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  4. ^ "Wolfe's 'Anthracite Fields' Wins Pulitzer for Music". ABC News. April 20, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  5. ^ Vankin, Deborah (April 20, 2015). "Julia Wolfe's 'Anthracite Fields' wins 2015 Pulitzer Prize in music". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 27, 2015.