|
Q: How did you get involved with Craig Hella Johnson and the Considering Matthew Shepard (CMS) project?
A: I've known Craig for a very long time. We probably met at a conference, but we've known each other for a very long time and have crossed paths quite a bit. I've always been attracted to his philosophy of using choral music for a purpose beyond just audience entertainment, but as a tool to educate and perhaps even inspire people to think about how they can be better humans and contribute to their communities. I've seen Considering Matthew Shepard numerous times. In fact, at Temple University, my colleague Paul Rardin conducted a performance of CMS last year, last season. When the opportunity came for me and my colleague Jay Fuellen to organize and coordinate a mass choir here in the city of Philadelphia to support the work of Craig Hella Johnson and Conspirare with Considering Matthew Shepard, it was basically a no-brainer. I'm just delighted to be a part of this project.
Q: Can you tell us about the All of Us choir and how you recruited singers for this massive ensemble?
A: Many choral programs in cities around the country are so busy with their own work, mission, goals, and programming that it's really hard to get them together. But I've been in the Philadelphia area for 15 years now and have gotten to know a lot of choral directors and a lot of like-minded choral directors. Even though we all have our own programming throughout the year, I think we find resonance with one another knowing that we love to build community through the work that we do. I got on the phone and on email and started contacting conductors and letting them know about this amazing opportunity for us to come together. I was just delighted when a number of them were able to say yes. We were asked to get about 300 singers, and I think we're going to double that number. So I'm very excited about it.
Q: What is the significance of Considering Matthew Shepard in today's context, and how does it relate to the theme of acceptance?
A: Even though this piece has had some time historically to sort of make its run, we are still having conversations and conflict around the subject of acceptance, particularly in the LGBTQ community. I think that this performance will give all of us an opportunity to think more critically about what we as individuals, but also what we as a collective body can do in order to spread the messages of this music. It can perhaps create a certain amount of dialogue not just amongst ourselves, but amongst people who may still be thinking about what they can do or how they can better understand that it is our common humanity that brings us all together. We should celebrate our differences, but we should not be thinking about difference as an opportunity to divide. Instead, we can unite through our differences. This core message not only connects to the LGBTQ community but also across religious differences, political differences, cultural differences, et cetera. It's a very powerful message that continues to be relevant in the times that we're living in.
| 
