By: Michael French, UC Davis College of Letters & Science
The choruses of UC Davis — which include the Concert Choir and the Chamber Singers — join with the Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus to perform the oratorio Considering Matthew Shepard, which honors and celebrates the life of the LGBTQ+ icon.
The concert is June 5 at 7 p.m. in the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts at UC Davis, and is conducted by Nicolás Dosman, director of choirs and a professor of teaching at UC Davis.
First performed in 2016, this powerful oratorio, composed by Craig Hella Johnson, is a musical journey that delves deeply into the life and legacy of Matthew Shepard, whose tragic death became a pivotal moment in the fight against hate crimes and for LGBTQ+ rights. The collaboration between these choirs highlights a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and social justice through the medium of choral music. The choral work is fused together with different styles. The texts are from poets, including Rumi and Hildegard von Bingen, along with words from Shepard’s own journal. The Chicago Tribune wrote: “Moving among styles ranging from Lutheran hymnody to blues to Broadway, this modern-day Passion will move many listeners to tears even as it reaches beyond tragedy to peace, understanding and forgiveness.”
“In preparation and rehearsal of Considering Matthew Shepard, it has been a musical and emotional journey with both the UC Davis Choirs and Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus,” said Dosman. “These two choirs will join to form an intergenerational choir to tell the story of Matthew Shepard, whose death and the circumstances surrounding his death made a significant impact on the treatment of LGBT individuals in US society. My hope in choosing this work was to bring members of the Davis and Greater Sacramento community to remind us of our shared humanity through music through Matthew Shepard’s story.”
Directed by Alex Heetland, the Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus (SGMC) is one of the oldest and largest LGBTQ+ performing arts organizations in the Sacramento region. The chorus was founded in 1984 as a singing group that aimed to foster a sense of community and support gay men in the Sacramento area. SGMC now consists of 110 singers from diverse backgrounds, united by a love of music and a commitment to promoting social justice, equality, and LGBTQ+ rights through the power of music. SGMC is committed to promoting visibility and understanding of the LGBTQ+ community and creating a more inclusive and accepting society. The chorus is also known for its high-quality performances that showcase a wide range of musical genres, from pop to classical and everything in between.
Tickets are $24 for adults and $12 for students and youth. Tickets are available at the Mondavi Center Ticket Office in person or by calling 530-754-2787 between noon and 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. Tickets are also available online at tickets.mondaviarts.org.
For more information about music department concerts in the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis, visit music.ucdavis.edu.
