I’m still processing this amazing performance.
Last night, I saw the Grammy-winning ensemble Conspirare perform Craig Hella Johnson’s “Considering Matthew Shepard” at Transylvania University in Lexington, KY. Here’s what the original press release had to say:
LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University and the Dorothy J. and Fred K. Smith Concert Series will present Grammy award-winning Conspirare in a performance of “Considering Matthew Shepard” on Tuesday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m. in Haggin Auditorium (Mitchell Fine Arts Center). This evocative choral drama, composed by Craig Hella Johnson, is a mix of musical textures and idioms that defy genre and come together to create a sense of hope, compassion, unity and empowerment.
The national tour comes to Lexington nearly 20 years to the day when Matthew Shepard’s life was taken in an anti-gay hate crime. The choral and instrumental masterpiece tells Shepard’s story and reverberates with larger questions. “Matt’s story is not unique,” his mother, Judy Shepard, reminds us. “It’s a universal story.”
Craig Hella Johnson uses a wide range of poetic texts that span centuries and include contemporary writers Lesléa Newman and Michael Dennis Browne, in addition to works of Hildegard of Bingen, Rumi and Hafiz. Passages from Matthew Shepard’s personal journal, interviews and writings from his parents, Judy and Dennis Shepard, as well as newspaper reports add to texts by Johnson and Browne.
The power in the work, as described by The Washington Post, “demonstrates music’s capacity to encompass, transform and transcend tragedy. Powerfully cathartic, it leads us from horror and grief to a higher understanding of the human condition, enabling us to endure.”
I knew of Conspirare before tonight’s concert. Their director, Craig Hella Johnson, was the guest conductor/clinician when my son sang with the Kentucky All-State Chorus a few years ago, and I had been quite impressed with his composing skills (the All-State men performed his “We Are”) and my son’s descriptions of both his teaching and his passion for music. Checking Conspirare’s YouTube feed led me to performances like this:
I knew they were a remarkable ensemble, and I knew that Johnson was an incredible director and composer — but nothing prepared me for what I saw tonight.
There were only a handful of props and some background images projected onto a large screen behind the singers. The orchestra consisted of only six players, plus Johnson at the piano. That sounds rather sparse, but nothing more was necessary, because the music...my gosh, the music just reached out and grabbed us.
I can honestly say that I did not hear as much as a whisper around me during the entire 105-minute performance, nor did I hear anyone shifting in their seat, checking their phone, or anything like the ‘background noise’ one usually hears at such concerts. The only noise I heard came from people turning the pages of the program, which included a full libretto of the performance. There were roughly 900 people in the auditorium, and we were entranced by Johnson’s telling of Matthew Shepard’s story. We felt the pain...the anger...the hate...and, ultimately, the grace of his life and its message.
Conspirare’s “Considering Matthew Shepard” tour continues into 2019, and you can see their scheduled performances here.
IF YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THIS PERFORMANCE, DO SO.
There is also a PBS special broadcast, thanks to KLRU-TV’s partnership with Conspirare; your organization/school can request a DVD of the performance for educational use or community screenings. It is currently airing on PBS stations in several cities; here are the current cities and airdates.
Transylvania University chose to bring “Considering Matthew Shepard” to campus as part of a year-long focus on “civility.” Before the concert (which was free to the general public), a Community and Resource Fair was held to connect attendees with various LGBTQ resources, both on- and off-campus. After the concert, Johnson joined a panel discussion which included the Kentucky prosecutors who earned one of the first successful convictions under the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which had been signed into law by President Obama in 2009. (Unfortunately, I could not stay for the panel discussion.)
YouTube offers several videos featuring highlights from “Considering Matthew Shepard”, but I don’t want to use them, because they simply do NOT do justice to the live performance. Instead, I’ll end with Craig Hella Johnson answering the question, “Why Matthew Shepard?”…