October 12, 2023 marks 25 years since Matthew Shepard's death. In remembrance of this historic and tragic anniversary, Choral Artistry is proud to perform an encore of Craig Hella Johnson's Considering Matthew Shepard on October 22nd at the Naples United Church of Christ.
“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
Choral Artistry premiered this piece in Southwest Florida (Cape Coral) in April 2022 and is honored to perform it once again this October in Naples. The three-part oratorio is about gay college student Matthew Shepard, who was beaten, tortured, and left to die in a 1998 hate crime.
“The work is loosely modeled after a Bach passion,” Dr. Brown says. “It takes texts from Matthew Shepard’s journal, and it takes interviews from Matthew’s parents and some clippings from some news articles, as well, and uses that as the libretto to tell the story of Matthew’s life and his untimely death and the legacy he leaves.
Location & Time
Sunday, October 22, 2023
4:00pm - 6:00pm
Naples United Church of Christ
5200 Crayton Rd
Naples, FL 34103