"Considering Matthew Shepard," Interlochen Festival Choir

Featuring music by Craig Hella Johnson, Considering Matthew Shepard, is a three-part fusion oratorio that 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.

Festival Choir is the largest choral ensemble at the Interlochen Arts Camp, whose membership includes campers from the High School Division, staff, faculty, and members of the community. Festival Choir‘s history traces back to the summer of 1929, with a performance of two choruses from Gounod’s Redemption: "Lovely Appear" and Mendelssohn's "Elijah," conducted by Earl V. Moore. The ensemble was formally named "Festival Choir" in 1944 by Maynard Klein, who would serve as the ensemble's main conductor until 1982. The ensemble has also performed under the baton of Walter Damrosch, Robert Shaw, Margaret Hillis, and Roger Wagner.