What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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8 WHAT'S UP! APRIL 9-15, 2023 COVER STORY Ugly Crime, Beautiful Music Schola Cantorum 'considers' Matthew Shepard BECCA MARTIN-BROWN NWA Democrat-Gazette O n Oct. 7, 1998, Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming, was brutally attacked and tied to a fence in a field outside of Laramie and left to die. On Oct. 12, he succumbed to his wounds at a hospital in Fort Collins, Colo. Those facts are the basis for "Considering Matthew Shepard," 263 pages — about an hour and 45 minutes — of music and spoken word that tells the story of how being gay cost Shepard his life. Since his death, Shepard's parents and the Matthew Shepard Foundation have worked to "pioneer the country's first federal hate crimes legislation with the passing of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009; provided hate crimes training to 1,060 law enforcement officers and 76 prosecutors since May 2017; created dialogue about hate and acceptance within communities around the world; and built a robust collection of resources to support 'The Laramie Project' and other legacy works inspired by Matt's story." Although the play "The Laramie Project" is better known, Stephen Caldwell, director of the University of Arkansas' premier vocal group, Schola Cantorum, has known about "Considering Matthew Shepard" since its debut in 2016. Composer Craig Hella Johnson says he "wanted to create, within a musical framework, a space for reflection, consideration and unity around [Shepard's] life and legacy." This year marks the 25th anniversary of Shepard's death, but Caldwell wasn't waiting for that landmark. "I would have programmed ['Considering Matthew Shepard'] already but for the pandemic, which disrupted concerts for us," he says. "It is incredible music, it tells a story that everyone should know, and despite the tough subject matter is ultimately an uplifting piece about love and acceptance — two things our society needs." Perhaps surprisingly, the choice has not been met with only those two emotions. "I told the students in August what our spring semester would be like, and in November I sent them the libretto and recordings to peruse," Members of the University of Arkansas Schola Cantorum, the university's premier choral group founded in 1957 by professor of music Richard Brothers, rehearse at the George and Boyce Billingsley Music Building on the university campus in Fayetteville. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe) FAQ 'Considering Matthew Shepard' WHEN — 7:30 p.m. April 15 WHERE — Faulkner Performing Arts Center on the Univer- sity of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville COST — $20 general admission; $10 students & seniors INFO — uark.universitytickets. com