Frostburg State University to Present “Considering Matthew Shepard”

Frostburg State University’s Department of Music, in collaboration with the Department of Theatre and Dance, will present Craig Hella Johnson’s “Considering Matthew Shepard” Friday, May 6, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 7, at 3 p.m. in the Pealer Recital Hall of FSU’s Woodward D. Pealer Performing Arts Center. On Sunday, May 8, there will be a performance at 3 p.m. at St. Ignatius Catholic Community in Baltimore.

This powerful masterwork explores the importance of elevating love and caring for one another through music. In 1998, Shepard, an LGBTQ student at the University of Wyoming, was kidnapped, beaten, tied to a fence and left to die.

With inspirations from Bach to Broadway, the compelling message of this performance is still essential today and shows the significance of unity and recognizing those who feel marginalized.

“Matt Shepard and his story have led me on an inspiring, challenging and deeply meaningful journey that I continue to this day,” said Johnson. “In composing ‘Considering Matthew Shepard,’ I wanted to create, within a musical framework, a space for reflection, consideration and unity around his life and legacy.”

The Chicago Tribune remarked about the piece, “Listen to this music … and you’ll encounter the antithesis of despair and gloom. Yes, Considering Matthew Shepard conjures the horror of the crime, but through its synthesis of poetry, excerpts from Shepard’s journal and comments from his parents, the piece renders Shepard much more than just a victim: He’s a real-life, multidimensional person whose death led Johnson not only to lament what happened but to point toward a better path for humanity.”

For more information, visit www.frostburg.edu/consider or contact the FSU Department of Music at 301-687-4110.

FSU is following CDC guidance based on current area conditions. For current health and safety guidelines visit www.frostburg.edu/COVID19.