CONSIDERING MATTHEW SHEPARD by Craig Hella Johnson Click HERE to Purchase Tickets for Considering Matthew Shepard
October 14, 2023 - 7:30 pm - Myrtle Beach High School Performing Arts Center
October 15, 2023 - 3:00 pm - Myrtle Beach High School Performing Arts Center
The Carolina Master Chorale opens its 2023-24 concert season October 13-15, with CONSIDERING MATTHEW SHEPARD, a Grammy-nominated three-part oratorio composed by Craig Hella Johnson. The work is an evocative and compassionate musical response to the murder of Matthew Shepard. On October 6, 1998, University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was kidnapped, beaten, and left to die, in what became an infamous act of brutality, and one of America’s most notorious anti-gay hate crimes. Shepard’s murder ultimately led to the creation of the Matthew Shepard Foundation and provided a catalyst for legislation that expanded the definition of a hate crime to include sexual orientation. In 2009, Congress passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Composer Craig Hella Johnson had a profoundly personal reaction to both the murder and its resonance.
This three-part fusion oratorio speaks with a fresh and bold voice, 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. The Shepard family and Foundation engaged with Johnson in the creation of the work and allowed the use of fragments from Shepard’s personal diary. These excerpts, along with interviews and writings from Matthew’s parents Judy and Dennis Shepard, newspaper reports, and additional texts by Johnson and Browne are poignantly appointed throughout the work.
The Carolina Master Chorale will stage the work in a collaborative effort the Theatre of the Republic of Conway South Carolina. A chamber instrumental ensemble from the Long Bay Symphony of Myrtle Beach will accompany the performance. The ensemble features string quintet, clarinet, guitar, marimba, and percussion. Soloists, singing in musical styles from classical to country and gospel will be chosen from throughout the Myrtle Beach musical community.
The 2023-2024 Season
HEROISM AND THE POWER OF LOVE (See details below)
|
Individual Tickets: (Good for concerts 2, 3 & 4. Tickets for Considering Matthew Shepard will be purchased through Theatre of the Republic) |
CONSIDERING MATTHEW SHEPARD by Craig Hella Johnson Click Here to Purchase Tickets for Considering Matthew Shepard- https://matthewshepard.show/
October 14, 2023 - 7:30 pm - Myrtle Beach High School Performing Arts Center
October 15, 2023 - 3:00 pm - Myrtle Beach High School Performing Arts Center
The Carolina Master Chorale opens its 2023-24 concert season October 13-15, with CONSIDERING MATTHEW SHEPARD, a Grammy-nominated three-part oratorio composed by Craig Hella Johnson. The work is an evocative and compassionate musical response to the murder of Matthew Shepard. On October 6, 1998, University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was kidnapped, beaten, and left to die, in what became an infamous act of brutality, and one of America’s most notorious anti-gay hate crimes. Shepard’s murder ultimately led to the creation of the Matthew Shepard Foundation and provided a catalyst for legislation that expanded the definition of a hate crime to include sexual orientation. In 2009, Congress passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Composer Craig Hella Johnson had a profoundly personal reaction to both the murder and its resonance.
This three-part fusion oratorio speaks with a fresh and bold voice, 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. The Shepard family and Foundation engaged with Johnson in the creation of the work and allowed the use of fragments from Shepard’s personal diary. These excerpts, along with interviews and writings from Matthew’s parents Judy and Dennis Shepard, newspaper reports, and additional texts by Johnson and Browne are poignantly appointed throughout the work.
The Carolina Master Chorale will stage the work in a collaborative effort the Theatre of the Republic of Conway South Carolina. A chamber instrumental ensemble from the Long Bay Symphony of Myrtle Beach will accompany the performance. The ensemble features string quintet, clarinet, guitar, marimba, and percussion. Soloists, singing in musical styles from classical to country and gospel will be chosen from throughout the Myrtle Beach musical community.
THIS DAY SING GLORIA
December 9, 2023 - 4:00 pm - Trinity United Methodist Church, 706 14th Ave. S., North Myrtle Beach, SC
December 10, 2023 - 4:00 pm - First Presbyterian Church, 3810 Robert M. Grissom Parkway, Myrtle Beach, SC
On December 9 and 10, 2023, the Carolina Master Chorale will open its 41st Subscription Concert Season with their long-standing holiday tradition, presenting music for choir and brass ensemble celebrating Christmas and Hanukah. The program is anchored by medium length works of contemporary choral composers including setting of Gloria by Antonio Vivaldi, Jeffrey Ames and John Rutter, Hodie (“This Day”) by Z. Randall Stroope, and excerpts from Aspects of a Great Miracle about the Hanukah story by Michael Isaacson. The program is accompanied by a ten-piece brass and percussion ensemble from the Long Bay Symphony of Myrtle Beach.
BROADWAY HEROES, BROADWAY LOVERS
February 17, 2024 - 4:00 pm - Trinity United Methodist Church, 706 14th Ave. S., North Myrtle Beach, SC
February 18, 2024 - 4:00 pm - First Presbyterian Church, 3810 Robert M. Grissom Parkway, Myrtle Beach, SC
In February 2024, the Carolina Master Chorale merges two of its most popular programs, featuring the winners of the Seventh Annual Carolina Master Chorale/Coastal Carolina University Student Vocal Competition in a Broadway love song concert for Valentine’s Day. The program, which will be designed around the competition winners after their selection in the Fall of 2023, will include songs such as "Make Them Hear You" from RAGTIME, "The Impossible Dream" from MAN OF LA MANCHA, "Can You Read My Mind?" from SUPERMAN, "One Day More" from LES MISERABLES, "In Every Age" from TITANIC, and more.
AMERICAN HEROES
April 27, 2024 - 4:00 pm - Trinity United Methodist Church, 706 14th Ave. S., North Myrtle Beach, SC
April 28, 2024 - 4:00 pm - First Presbyterian Church, 3810 Robert M. Grissom Parkway, Myrtle Beach, SC
On April 27 and 28, 2024, the Carolina Master Chorale season finale will celebrate eight local heroes from eight walks of life, whose passions and efforts have made the world a better place. Honorees or their designees will be present to hear their stories told in brief, and to experience a choral performance selected specifically to ennoble their personal contributions. This is the second time the CMC has produced a program under this theme, and as there were far more nominees than could be honored at the previous concerts, this event undoubtedly will bring highly deserved recognition to individuals and causes that have improved the lives of all they touch.