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
- Video Recording from: YouTube FULL VIDEO
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