Considering Matthew Shepard is a genre-defying oratorio by composer Craig Hella Johnson. The work offers a deeply human perspective on the tragedy of Matthew Shepard’s murder. It explores many different emotions, including shock, sorrow, rage, tenderness, and ultimately, hope. Through a wide range of musical styles and texts, including poetry, journalistic accounts, sacred writings, and reflections from Shepard’s parents, the work asks listeners to consider not only what was lost, but what kind of world we are responsible for building in its wake.

The concert will be presented by Modern Sound Collective’s youth and young adult choirs, Datsuzoku and Concreamus, a combined choir of over 100 voices. They will be joined by a professional instrumental ensemble consisting of guitar, percussion, piano, clarinet, and strings, and professional vocal soloists.