National Tour of Grammy-Winning Ensemble Conspirare Comes to the Green Center Wednesday

October 6, 2018

Craig Hella Johnson will conduct the Grammy Award-winning ensemble Conspirare in what has been described by the Washington Post as “a brilliant, heartfelt performance” of Considering Matthew Shepard for DePauw University’s Green Guest Artists Series. You're invited to attend the program at 8 p.m. Wednesday, October 10 in Kresge Auditorium, located within the Green Center for the Performing Arts.

The three-part oratorio, co-produced and directed by Rod Caspers, relays Johnson’s musical response to the tragic 1998 death of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man who has become an American symbol for hope and empowerment. This major new work for chorus, soloists and chamber ensemble sets to music a rich variety of texts by librettist Michael Dennis Browne, poets Lesléa Newman, Rumi and many others, leading the audience from anguish to understanding.

“As a choral musician, I am very connected to the Passion settings, especially those of J. S. Bach, the St. Matthew Passion and the St. John Passion,” writes Johnson. “At first I felt called to compose a Passion setting of Matthew Shepard. I followed that instinct and created Passion music, which now makes up some of the central section of this work. It has evolved and expanded from that point to include additional music including a prologue and epilogue. I very much wanted Matt’s voice to be heard, even if in a small way, and to include a few musical snapshots of his strong life force. Additionally, I also especially wanted to provide a space for reflection, consideration and unity within this musical framework.”

To achieve these artistic aims, rather than setting to music the words of a single author, when preparing the libretto the composer chose a collection of texts by several writers spanning several centuries and cultures, from contemporary poets to Old Testament scribes, including strains of the American West, where the story is set. All these elements contribute both to the poetic and musical structure of the piece from the opening strains of Johnson at the piano, playing the Prelude in C major from Bach’s “Well-Tempered Clavier,” to the closing reprise that brings together the stories many threads, echoing the theme: “I bet you once had hopes and dreams, too…. Some things we love get lost along the way.”

A free film showing of Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine on Monday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Green Center’s Thompson Recital Hall will precede Wednesday’s concert performance, which commemorates the 20th anniversary of Shepard’s death. Outreach programs providing opportunity to participate in an ongoing national conversation about acceptance, compassion and bullying also will include a presentation for Greencastle Middle School students at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10.

General admission to Conspirare’s Green Guest Artist concert is $20; tickets for seniors, children and all students are free. For online purchases, visit the School’s new website at depauw.edu/music. The venue’s box office is open for in-person assistance from noon–4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 90 minutes prior to each ticketed performance in the Green Center for the Performing Arts.

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