Join the Providence Singers and the Rhode Island Gay Men's Chorus at the WaterFire Arts Center for an evening of music, reflection, and community.

The Providence Singers is a 90-voice concert choir known for their annual performances of Handel‘s Messiah at the Vets and their dual focus on performing choral masterworks and significant modern compositions.

Directed by Christine Noel, the multi-media performance of Considering Matthew Shepard will include a chamber orchestra and evocative video.

For more information, please visit www.ProvidenceSingers.org.

Considering Matthew Shepard is an exceptional musical tribute to an “ordinary boy.” First performed in 2016, this modern oratorio explores Matthew’s life, death, and legacy. Composer Craig Hella Johnson observed, “The piece actually became a whole lot more than just the story of the suffering. It needed to become this larger invitation to return to love and to remember who we are as human beings, in the deepest sense of our essence.” Johnson’s music incorporates several music styles: classical, Gospel, spiritual, rock, jazz, and even Gregorian chant. The text is also diverse, ranging from author Lesléa Newman (Heather Has Two Mommies ) to the 12th mystic Hildegard of Bingen, from Matthew’s personal journal to the epithets hurled by protesters at his funeral. Considering Matthew Shepard is moving, challenging, and ultimately uplifting.