In ‘Considering Matthew Shepard: A Choral Suite,’ Coro Piccolo remembers a tragedy and seeks to strengthen compassion in our lives
By Donald Munro
Matthew Shepard hasn’t been forgotten. His death in 1998 has been memorialized in a variety of formats, including theater, books and film. One of the most wrenching and cathartic ways to remember this young gay man – a University of Wyoming student who was beaten, tortured, and left to die near Laramie – is a choral work by Craig Hella Johnson titled “Considering Matthew Shepard: A Choral Suite.”
It will be performed Sunday by members of Coro Piccolo, a 55-member group of auditioned members that is under the umbrella of the Fresno Community Chorus. Music director Anna Hamre chose the title to round out a season exploring “Creation and Compassion.” I caught up with Hamre – who just conducted the Fresno Master Chorale, the largest ensemble in the FCC organization, three weeks ago in an electric performance of Haydn’s “The Creation” – to talk about this much more contemporary work.
Coro Piccolo performs at 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. Sunday, May 18, at St. James Episcopal Cathedral. I’m told that tickets are very limited.
Q: You’ve called this season one of “creation and compassion.” How do you think those two concepts fit together?
A: Being human should mean being humane…having compassion. It should be an integral part of being immersed in this creation. Master Chorale covered the creation theme this year. Coro Piccolo addressed compassion. Their holiday concert ended with a piece that essentially said the message of Christmas is to feed the hungry, help the suffering, etc. This concert this Sunday will be very focused on compassion. Of course, the Matthew Shepard story is well known. But Quintus and Altissima are also performing Kyle Pederson’s “A Vision Unfolding,” the message extolling all people to actively care for all humanity, regardless of color, religion, lifestyle, etc.
Q: Tell us more about Quintus and Altissima, your small men’s and women’s ensembles.
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A: Quintus and Altissima are very interested in social justice themes. Sherah Moore Burdick is the music director at St James Episcopal Cathedral, which is also very focused on social-justice issues. Sherah is a member of Altissima and Aaron (her husband) is a founding member of Quintus. But the momentum was started by Quintus member Brian Lummis, who connected our singers to the loosely organized national Justice Choir movement. The goal of this movement is to promote singing that creates awareness of needs and problems (and hopefully remedies) in our society. I must say that the application letter Brian wrote was incredibly poignant about the history and challenges we face in our community. (Brian is now an HR officer in a local bank.)
These 10 singers are gifted musically, and they sing with the heart of angels. St James is the perfect place to sing our songs. This is their third social justice concert, and the Matthew Shepard piece seemed like a perfect addition to their established tradition of singing for the “good” of our community. So, Q & A ( as we refer to them) is pushing the artistic envelope in Fresno. I am exceedingly proud of them and their commitment.
Q: How do you describe the musical style of “Considering Matthew Shepard”?
A: The full oratorio is too long for this concert, so we are performing the choral suite plus bits from the complete work to tell the whole story. The style feels like musical theatre much of the time. Some moments sound like hymn tunes, some like Gospel music, some full traditional choral writing. There are poignant solos, speech-chorus elements, and emotive sound effects.
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Q: What are some of the texts used?
A: The texts include storytelling about Matt growing up in Wyoming, newspaper accounts of the murder and trial, reflections on anger, innocence, and healing.There are no artistic elements other than singing, narration, and chamber instrumental writing. There is one prop … a section of broken fence.
Q: What is one thing you learned about Matthew Shepard in the course of conducting this work?
A: I think we learned just what an ordinary boy Matt was growing up. But he also had an extraordinary attachment to nature. Apparently a deer lay in the snow next to him during the night after Matthew was left on the fence to die.
Q: Anything else you’d like to say?
A: It’s compelling storytelling. Moments are brutal and difficult to perform. But the ending has an uplifting message.
Paige Addington
Just finished watching and listening.. it was amazing. Tissues needed!!
Jackie Ryle
This was a stunning concert in every respect, from the depth and horrific message of the story to the unequalled performances. I was left shaken, and with renewed gratitude for Anna Hamre and all the incredible performers.
Michael Rogers
Incredible concert. So moving! The chorus was at the top of their game. Anna, you accomplished your goal to spread awareness and compassion. You and your singers are a great girl to the Fresno community. Thank you