The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra will present the oratorio Considering Matthew Shepard in a concert featuring The Elora Singers on November 26. He oratorio by American composer Craig Hella Johnson is a moving work written as a response to the life of Matthew Shepard, tragically cut short by violence in 1998.
Matthew Shepard was a student at the University of Wyoming in 1998. Just short of 22 years old, he was ambushed and attacked by two men, and left to die near Laramie, Wyoming. Tied to a fence in a remote area, he was found and taken to hospital by rescuers, but died six days later from the horrific head injuries he’d suffered during the attack.
While his murderers tried to argue that their motives were robbery, it seems clear that the attack was motivated by anti-LGBTQ sentiment.
The murder sparked legislation and several artistic creations, including Considering Matthew Shepard. Johnson wrote his oratorio as a response to the murder, and more importantly, as a celebration of Matthew’s life.
Composer Craig Hella Johnson and Considering Matthew Shepard
American choral conductor, composer, and arranger Craig Hella Johnson’s father was a Lutheran pastor, and growing up in Minnesota, his life was surrounded by music. He began to study piano as a child, later adding the organ. Johnson served as a church organist as a high school student.
He’d add conducting while studying towards his Bachelor’s degree in piano performance at St. Olaf College. After graduating, he went on to study at the Juilliard School, the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, and Yale University, eventually earning a Doctor of Musical Arts degree.
He became Artistic Director of acclaimed vocal group Chanticleer from 1998 to 1999, a position he later held for several years with the Victoria Bach Festival. He also directed the Houston Masterworks Chorus from 2001 to 2003. Today he is Professor and Resident Artist in Choral Music at Texas State University.
Craig wrote and premiered Considering Matthew Shepard, his most famous work, in 2016. A recording of the work by award-winning choir Conspirare was nominated for a GRAMMY.
In the piece, he incorporates various musical styles and texts, including works by Hildegard of Bingen, Lesléa Newman, Michael Dennis Browne, and Rumi. Matthew Shepard’s own words are represented via passages from his journal, along with excerpts of interviews with his family. The fusion oratorio is written in three parts also uses text drawn from newspaper accounts, along with additional material written by Johnson and Browne.
While it does not shy away from depicting his death, the work for soloists, choir and chamber orchestra emphasizes choosing light and hope over hatred and darkness. It has been performed hundreds of times since its premiere in 2016.
The Performance
Mark Vuorinen conducts The Elora Singers and the musicians of the HPO.
Content note: Considering Matthew Shepard is a musical depiction of the actual events surrounding Matthew’s murder and contains direct quotes referencing extreme violence and hate.
- Find tickets to the November 26 concert [HERE].
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