“A fine and very moving performance of Craig Hella Johnson’s oratorio concerning a murder that changed the world...”
“Conductor and musical director Jesse Budel has assembled a superb choir and excellent musical ensemble, which are joined by soloists Mark Oates and Jennifer Trijo. Musically, the result is first rate.”
Considering Matthew Shepard, by Craig Hella Johnson, is a three-part oratorio that reflects on the 1998 homophobic murder of 21-year-old Matthew Shepard in Wyoming, USA.
A Grammy-nominated work, ‘Considering Matthew Shepard’ communicates a compelling social narrative, telling an important story of our community that cultivates an understanding of the other: Matthew’s death led to significant US law reform, and his tragedy connects with similar cases including George Duncan’s 1972 drowning in Adelaide, 1980s Sydney bashings, 2016 Pulse Nightclub mass shooting, and ongoing anti-trans rhetoric.
Through the music of ‘Considering Matthew Shepard’, we gain a deeper understanding of tolerance and compassion, as the Washington Post notes: “Powerfully cathartic, it leads us from horror and grief to a higher understanding of the human condition, enabling us to endure”.
Considering Matthew Shepard received its Australian premiere in November 2019 at Adelaide’s Feast Festival, produced and conducted by Jesse Budel. A review of this production, written by Ewart Shaw for Broadway World can be found here.
In October 2023, on the 25th anniversary of Matthew’s death, Soundstream New Music presented a remount production of this important work, again produced and conducted by Jesse Budel, joined by soloists Mark Oates, Jennifer Trijo, and esteemed choristers from the ranks of Adelaide Chamber Singers, Adelaide Graduate Singers, Festival Statesmen Chorus, Young Adelaide Voices and the State Opera of South Australia Chorus.
The production was critically acclaimed by both Limelight Magazine and The Barefoot Review.
