This inspiring oratorio will be under the direction of William Thomas, and features the artistry of the Tidewater Singers with an expanded ensemble from the Chesapeake College community, the Delmarva community and orchestra. Staging will be done by Tom Quimby. Performances will take place on Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25 in the Todd Performing Arts Center at Chesapeake College, Wye Mills, Maryland at 7:30 PM.

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In October of 1998, Matthew Shepard, a young, gay student at the University of Wyoming in Laramie was kidnapped, severely beaten, tied to a fence and left to die in a lonely field. Five days later, when Matt passed away, the world was watching. Approaching the 20th anniversary, Craig Hella Johnson responded with his first concert-length work, “Considering Matthew Shepard.”

Johnson sets a wide range of poetic and soulful texts by poets including Hildegard of Bingen, Lesléa Newman, Michael Dennis Browne, and Rumi. Passages from Matt’s personal journal, interviews and writings from his parents Judy and Dennis Shepard, newspaper reports and additional texts by Johnson and Browne are poignantly appointed throughout the work.  

"Matt Shepard and his story have led me on an inspiring, challenging and deeply meaningful journey that I continue to this day. In composing “Considering Matthew Shepard” I wanted to create, within a musical framework, a space for reflection, consideration and unity around his life and legacy."

– Craig Hella Johnson, composer

The Washington Post wrote “’Considering Matthew Shepard’ demonstrates music’s capacity to encompass, transform and transcend tragedy. Powerfully cathartic, it leads us from horror and grief to a higher understanding of the human condition, enabling us to endure.”

Matthew Shepard’s story must never be forgotten.

From https://conspirare.org/project/considering-matthew-shepard/