“Considering Matthew Shepard”

River City Mixed Chorus presents Craig Hella Johnson’s deeply moving three-part fusion oratorio honoring the life and legacy of Matthew Shepard. Johnson sets a wide range of poetic and soulful texts by poets including Michael Dennis Browne, Lesléa Newman, Hildegard of Bingen 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. 

Deeply moved by the murder of a young gay man, acclaimed conductor Craig Hella Johnson composed an evocative and compassionate musical response that leaves audiences hopeful and joyous, first premiered in 2016. It has now been performed by hundreds of choirs across the world, spreading the music’s message of compassion and understanding. Audiences describe this work as “brilliant,” “powerful,” “innovative,” “dazzling,” and “gripping.”