October 2023 marks 25 years since the murder of Matthew Shepard, who was targeted because he was gay, beaten, tortured, tied to a buck-rail fence in rural Wyoming, and left to die. His death garnered widespread national and international attention, and served as a turning point for gay rights in the U.S.
In recognition and remembrance, Choral Artistry will deliver an encore performance of Craig Hella Johnson’s power three-part oratorio “Considering Matthew Shepard.”
The unique composition tells the story of Matthew’s life, death, and his legacy, loosely modeled on the style of a Bach passion.
It incorporates a broad spectrum of music genres including Broadway musical, Country & Wester, Blues and Jazz, Pop, Southern Hymns, Gospel, Classical, and even Gregorian chant.
In the forward to the score of this piece, Director of Choral Activities at the University of Georgia Daniel Bara writes that the piece “lovingly invites performers and audiences to risk opening up to a story in which we must weigh our own culpability and redemption, to see ourselves in the lives of the protagonists and the perpetrators, and perhaps most importantly, to recognize the presence of the divine in everyone.”
Ahead of the performance, we talk with Choral Artistry Artistic Director Trent Brown.
If You Go:
Choral Artistry’s performance of “Considering Matthew Shepard”
Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, 4-6 p.m.
Naples United Church of Christ
5200 Crayton Rd.
Naples, FL 34103
