The North Country Chorus performs "Considering Matthew Shepard" in their 74th spring concert on Saturday, May 6, at 7:30 pm and Sunday, May 7, at 3 pm. Both concerts are at South Church Hall on the campus of St. Johnsbury Academy. Admission by donation.

Craig Hella Johnson composed "Considering Matthew Shepard" to explore the life, death, and legacy of a gay student at the University of Wyoming in Laramie who was kidnapped, severely beaten, tied to a fence and left to die. While he lay in a coma for six days, candlelight vigils were held in countries around the world. "Considering Matthew Shepard" is among the many artistic responses to this hate crime -- speaking with a bold voice, and 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.

In this time when strife and violence related to gender and sexual identity continue to plague our culture, the North Country Chorus sings in the hope that the lessons of Matthew Shepard's story are not forgotten.