FULL Considering Matthew Shepard (Craig Hella Johnson) Boston 2022 New England Conservatory

Information on the Performance

• Work Title: Considering Matthew Shepard   
• Composer: Craig Hella Johnson  
• Libretto: various  
• Venue & Opera Company: New England Conservatory, Boston, Massachusetts  
• Recorded: March 17, 2022
• Type: Concert Live
• Singers: NEC Chamber Singers
• Conductor: Erica J. Washburn  
• Orchestra:
• Stage Director:   
• Costume Designer:   

Information about the Recording

• Published by: New England Conservatory  
• Date Published: 2022  
• Format: Streaming
• Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
• Subtitles: nosubs  

• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE

  “On Tuesday, October 6, 1998, at approximately 11:45 p.m., twenty-one-year-old Matthew Shepard, a gay college student attending the University of Wyoming, was kidnapped from a bar by twenty-one-year old Aaron McKinney and twenty-one-year-old Russell Henderson. Pretending to be gay, the two men lured Matthew Shepard into their truck, drove him to the outskirts of Laramie, robbed him, beat him with a pistol, tied him to a buck-rail fence, and left him to die. The next day, at about 6:00 p.m.—eighteen hours after the attack—he was discovered and taken to a hospital. He never regained consciousness and died five days later, on Monday, October 12, with his family by his side.” –Lesléa Newman

  More now than ever musicians wrestle with the message(s) they wish to convey through their artistry. “Can I, should I, use my performance as a platform for change?” That is a question every artist struggles with, in different ways. Some quickly say “Of course I should!” but then wonder, “how?!” Others live in fear of censorship and reprisal if they try. A fusion oratorio, “Considering Matthew Shepard” is a recent work in the choral canon focused on facets of social justice, calling its performers, and listeners, to not only mourn the loss of a young man’s life taken too soon, but to reflect on the numerous ways love, hate, and compassion live side-by-side.

  PROLOGUE

  Cattle, Horses, Sky and Grass
  Cowboy: Edward Ferran

  Ordinary Boy
  Narrator: Cassandra Pinataro
  Judy: Anna Poltronieri Tang
  Matt: Nicholas Ottersberg
  Matt: Jack Keller

  We Tell Each Other Stories / I am Open
  Narrator: Ashley Chen

  PASSION

  RECITATION
  Madeleine Wiegers

  The Fence (before)
  Fence: Nicholas Ottersberg

  RECITATION
  Molly Flynn

  The Fence (that night)
  Fence: Jádon Brooks

  RECITATION
  Molly Knight

  A Protestor

  Keep It Away From Me
  Bystander: Anneke Stern
  Trio: Cassandra Pinataro, Madeleine Wiegers, Corinne Luebke-Brown

  RECITATION
  David Helder

  Fire of the Ancient Heart
  Cantor: Jádon Brooks

  RECITATION
  Kathryn Fernholz

  Stray Birds

  We Are All Sons

  I Am Like You
  Quartet: Madeleine Wiegers, Anna Poltronieri Tang,
  Lucas Hernandez, Nicholas Ottersberg

  The Innocence
  A human: Colin Miller

  RECITATION
  Weza Jamison-Neto

  The Fence (one week later)
  Fence: Lauren Guthridge

  RECITATION
  Weza Jamison-Neto

  Stars
  Michael Meraw

  RECITATION
  Colin Miller

  In Need of Breath
  Matt: Edward Ferran

  RECITATION
  Molly Knight

  Deer Song
  Deer: Molly Flynn
  Matt: Nicholas Ottersberg
  Wyoming Winds: Chloe Thum, Ashley Chen, Yoomin Kang

  RECITATION
  Molly Flynn

  Pilgrimage
  in order of appearance:
  Yoomin Kang, Stellan Bettany, David Helder, Killian Grider
  Lucas Hernandez, Molly Flynn, Chloe Thum, Anneke Stern
  Corinne Luebke-Brown, Lauren Guthridge

  EPILOGUE

  Meet Me Here
  Narrator/Observer: Corinne Luebke-Brown

  All of Us
  Trio: Chloe Thum, Corinne Luebke-Brown, Lauren Guthridge

  Cattle, Horses, Sky and Grass (reprise)
  Cowboy: Edward Ferran

  (Visited 245 times, 1 visits today)