Saturday, October 9, 7:30 pm; Sunday, October 10, 3:00 pm
Buskirk-Chumley Theater
Saturday’s performance will also be livestreamed
There are deep divisions in our country. Across every demographic, fear of ‘the other’ is growing. Amid mounting tension, people are seeking out the healing power of kindness, justice, and love.
Music has a uniquely powerful way of connecting people with topics that are otherwise too painful and challenging to confront. On October 9 and 10, 2021, Bloomington Chamber Singers will perform Considering Matthew Shepard, Craig Hella Johnson´s powerful reflection on the events surrounding the 1998 beating and death of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student in Wyoming. This three-part “fusion oratorio” speaks with a fresh and bold voice, incorporating a variety of musical styles seamlessly woven into a unified whole.
Johnson sets a wide range of poetic and soulful texts by poets including Hildegard of Bingen, Lesléa Newman, Michael Dennis Browne, and Rumi. Passages from Matt’s personal journal, interviews and writings from his parents Judy and Dennis Shepard, newspaper reports, and additional texts by Johnson and Browne are poignantly appointed throughout the work. This recent work, premiered to wide acclaim in 2016, offers a universal message of love and hope for a better world. The dramatic unfolding includes a breadth of musical styles, ranging from gospel to chant and punctuated with powerful solos.
It is a work of uncommon melodic beauty, and consistently leaves audiences profoundly moved. Written for music lovers of any genre and those of every faith and political background, we truly believe every person who experiences Considering Matthew Shepard will find moments of contemplation and emotion.
Listeners describe this work as “brilliant,” “powerful,” “innovative,” “dazzling,” and “gripping.” The Bay Area Reporter wrote, “it has the richness, depth and complexity to compel repeated hearing, and the power to get you the first time out,” and from The Washington Post: “Considering Matthew Shepard 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.”
Considering Matthew Shepard has the power to heal and inspire audiences of all backgrounds, replacing hate with understanding, love, and appreciation for diversity. We invite all members of our communities, whatever your background or beliefs, to join us for a concert experience that will leave all of us considering the role we can play in healing the wounds of this world. BCS Artistic Director Gerald Sousa provides the staging and musical direction for this long-awaited multimedia production, with stunning media projections designed by Camilla Tassi of New Haven, CT, and lighting design by Allen Hahn of Bloomington.
The performance is sponsored by Ruoff Mortgage, Brabson Library and Educational Foundation, Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association, Bloomington Arts Commission, Indiana Arts Commission/National Endowment for the Arts, Brown County Community Foundation, and Smithville Charitable Foundation.
Location: Buskirk-Chumley Theater (114 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN)
Saturday, October 9, 2021 at 7:30 pm (in person and via livestream} and Sunday, October 10, 2021 at 3:00 pm (in person only)
Tickets available at the BCT Box Office or online at https://bctboxoffice.org/event/considering-matthew-shepard/
$25 general admission, $20 students with ID, and $200 for groups of 10
More information: www.chambersingers.info
