Reflecting on the senseless murder of Matthew Shepard — a young Wyoming man brutally beaten in October 1998 simply because he was gay — with music composed by Craig Hella Johnson, this moving passion oratorio is comprised of texts gathered from press coverage surrounding the crime, passages from Shepard’s own journal, and the interspersions of original poetry by Johnson and co-librettist Michael Dennis Brown. The music is a seamless fusion of classical, theatre, and folk music — and the message is one of endurance in grief and hope transcending tragedy.

Admission is free, all are welcome.