The UW Chamber Singers and University Chorale collaborate with Seattle University Choirs (Leann Conley-Holcom, director) in performing Craig Hella Johnson's Considering Matthew Shepard, a staged oratorio of remembrance, resistance, and hope.
Program
Considering Matthew Shepard
Craig Hella Johnson, composer
March 3, 2026 Meany Center for the Performing Arts, Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater, 7:30 pm
March 6, 2026 Pantages Theater, sponsored by NWACDA, 8 pm
Leann Conley-Holcom, Giselle Wyers, and Geoffrey Boers, conductors
Seattle University Chorale, Seattle University Chamber Singers and Seattle University Singers, UW Chamber Singers, University of Washington Chorale
Seattle University Chamber Singers Prepared by Visiting Director, Larke Witten
Guest Artists
Haitham Haidar as Matthew Shephard
Rod Caspers, Stage Director
Camilla Tassi, Video Artist and Projection
Band
Koryn Orcutt, clarinet
Justin S Davis, guitar
Andrew Angell, percussion
Serena Chin & Ella Kalinichenko, piano
Evan Hjort, violin
Rick Neff, viola
Nicole Williams, cello
Ross Gilliland, bass
PROLOGUE
1- Cattle, Horses, Sky and Grass
Giancarlo Agogliati, Kyla Marshall, Ruby Thomas, Hope Onstad, Lauren Ghrist
2- Ordinary Boy
Ava Valentin, Larke Witten
3- We Tell Each Other Stories/I Am Open
Jaden Ritscher
PASSION
4- Recitation 1
Priya Bhananker
5- The Fence
Danny Vizenor
6- Recitation 2
Joe Orlando
7- The Fence (that night)
Scott Fikse
8- Recitation 3
Joe Orlando
9- A Protestor
10- Keep it Away from Me
Jessica Thaxton, Lauren Ghrist, Jenna Kober, Jenna Matsumoto
11- Recitation 4
Sam Henry
12- Fire of the Ancient Heart
Evan Norberg
13- Recitation 5
Joe Orlando
14- Stray Birds
15- We Are All Songs
16- I Am Like You
Kyla Marshall, Tatiana Boggs, Giancarlo Agogliati, Evan Norberg
17- The Innocence
Michael McKenzie
18- Recitation 6
Priya Bhananker
19- The Fence (one week later)
Julianna Grabowski
20- Recitation 7
Sam Henry
21- Stars
Adam Freemantle
22- Recitation 8
Priya Bhananker
23- In Need of Breath
Haitham Haidar
24- Gently Rest (Deer Lullaby)
25- Recitation 9
Priya Bhananker
26- Deer Song
Hope Onstad, Helen Woodruff, Evelyn Jones
27- Recitation 10
Sam Henry
28- The Fence (after)/The Wind
29- Pilgrimage
Ruby Thomas, Matthew Belshan, Adam Freemantle, Ava Valentin, Maddie Rivera, Sophia Orlando, Helen Woodruff, Tatiana Boggs, Mallak Attwa, Samara Chacko
EPILOGUE
30- Meet Me Here
Evelyn Jones
31- Thank You
Haitham Haidar
32- All of Us
Julianna Grabowski, Heidi Blythe, Alex Rameau
33- Cattle, Horses, Sky, and Grass (Reprise)
Giancarlo Agogliati
Program Notes
Considering Matthew Shepard is 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. 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.
Biographies
Geoffrey Boers
Geoffrey Boers is Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Music at the University of Washington Seattle, where he leads a program widely recognized as innovative and forward thinking, focused on nurturing the whole student as conductor-teacher- scholar- leader. He currently is supported by the Endowment for Faculty Excellence in the School of Music. His work is directed toward techniques to expand ideals for conducting gesture, rehearsal pedagogy, and ensemble vocal technique. Geoffrey loves working with choirs of all ages, and teaches nationally and internationally, most recently in Tallinn, Estonia, and Xi’an China. In addition to his work at the UW, Geoffrey conducts the Symphony Tacoma Voices. Along with the choir, he conducts the Symphony Tacoma in performances each year. Each summer, in tandem with Orquestra Northwest, Boers directs the Cascade Conducting Master Class Choral track, which draws conducting students from North, Central, and South America. When he is not working with choirs or conductors, he is cooking, or spending time with loved ones, especially three grandsons.
Leann Conley-Holcom
Dr. Leann Conley-Holcom is Assistant Professor of Music at Seattle University, where she serves as Director of Choral & Vocal Activities and Music Program Director. Renowned for her integration of vocal technique and embodiment practices in choral teaching, she leads the voice program, conducts choral ensembles, and teaches conducting and vocal pedagogy. Under her leadership, the Seattle University Choral Program has become a hub for ambitious, inclusive, and innovative programming, emphasizing collaboration and engagement with living composers. Ensembles regularly partner with local universities, professional groups, and nationally recognized artists, including Cantus, Melissa Dunphy, and others, providing students with direct access to contemporary choral voices and professional practice. A dynamic educator, clinician, and arts leader, Dr. Conley-Holcom serves as Chair of the Washington ACDA College & University Repertoire & Resources Committee and is cofounding director of the treble ensemble MUSING. She is also an accomplished professional soprano, appearing with True Concord Voices & Orchestra (appearing on their Grammy-winning Far in the Heavens), the Oregon, Seattle, and Tacoma Bach Festivals, and the Evergreen Ensemble, as well as in solo appearances with regional orchestras and at Carnegie Hall.
Larke Witten
Larke Witten serves as the Visiting Director of Music for Seattle University’s Chamber Singers, balanced with her work as a choral artist, soloist, and private voice instructor. A versatile conductor, Larke is the Assistant Conductor for the Bellevue Nativity Messiah. Her experience spans the full vocal and developmental spectrum, having directed ensembles ranging from the Northwest Boychoir and the University of Washington Treble Choir to community and church choirs of all ages. Her vocal career includes a ten-season tenure as a founding member of the San Antonio Chamber Choir and seven seasons with Choral Arts Northwest. Larke’s notable performances include national ACDA conferences, Carnegie, Benaroya, and Abravanel Halls, Vienna’s Stephansdom, the San Antonio Missions and San Fernando Cathedral, collaborations with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, the King’s Singers, the Children’s Chorus of San Antonio, the South Dakota Chorale, and the Tel Aviv and San Antonio Symphonies. She thanks her husband, Matt, and their three daughters for a lifetime of adventure.
Giselle Wyers
Giselle Wyers is the Donald E. Peterson Endowed Professor of Choral Music at the University of Washington, as well as conductor of Concord Chamber Choir. Wyers has guest conducted honor choirs and all-state choirs in fourteen states and in Canada and South Korea, as well as semi-professional ensembles in Germany, Estonia, Netherlands and Sweden. Within ACDA, she is emeritus editor for the Choral Journal and serves on the Standing Committee on International Activities. She has composed thirty-five choral works to date, often on texts situated around her pervasive concern for protecting nature, and is featured in GIA’s new compendium Choral Repertoire by Women Composers. University of Washington Chorale won the American Prize for Choral Performance in 2025, and released their fourth CD, Chasing Daybreak, in 2024. They have collaborated with many prestigious artists including Andrea Bocelli and Seattle Symphony, and enjoyed a 2024 Central European tour along with UW Chamber Singers.
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Pigott Family Endowment for the Arts at Seattle University
Sommer Excellence in Choral Music Endowment in honor of Dr. Joy Sherman
The Considering Matthew Shepard Foundation
Ken and Sandy Schwartz
Dale and Margaret Largent
Joelle and David Keene
Joanne DePue
Tonya Ingerson, Safety and Well-Being Advocate
UW Chamber Singers
Geoffrey Boers, Conductor
Serena Chin, Collaborative Pianist
Assistant Conductors:
Soprano 1
Hope Villarreal
Jaden Ritscher
Tyleen Stults
Jenny Green
Helen Woodruff
Soprano 2
Nandini Rathod
Mari Hirayama
Julianna Grabowski-Porceng
Kyla Marshall
Alto 1
Katia Velit
Heidi Blythe
Emily Colombo
Tatiana Boggs
Lamey Appling
Alto 2
Ava Valentin
Lukas Hawkins
Alexandra Rameau
Maddie Rivera
Jaminfaye Reduque
Tenor 1
Nicholas Renaud
Maggie Petersen
Caleb Strader
Michael Lim
Vichet Ros
Tenor 2
Emmanuel Noyola-Juarez
Gray Creech
Julian Zhang
David Ferguson
Bass 1
Chung-An Wang
Jack Hawley
Thayden Boome
Adam Freemantle
Bass 2
Santiago Miranda-Marion
Michael McKenzie
Scott Fikse
Kyle Mahoney
UW Chorale
Giselle Wyers, Conductor
Serena Chin, Collaborative Pianist
Assistant Conductors: Julianna Grabowski, Nic Renaud, Helen Woodruff and Chung-An Wang
Denotes Section Leader *
Denotes Cabinet Member +
SOPRANOS
Tina Amrith
Elizabeth Brown*
Lauren Chenoweth*
Kirsten Conover
Aria Fowler
Sofia Groff
Mari Hirayama
Evelyn Jones
Tanushri Narendran
Sophia Peterson
Anya Riabov
Olivia Spaid
Hope Villareal
Katelyn Wales
Jolee Zamira +
ALTOS
Mallak Attwa
Ariel Baldwin +
Juniper Blessing
Suwan Chambers
Samara (Sam) Chacko
Alexis Georgiades +
Lainey Graham +
Sydney Jordan
Leah Peterson
Alex Retteghieri
Maddie Rivera *
Jessica Thaxton * +
Anna Vu
Haley Westberg *
TENORS
Beau Bradney
Eric Gagliano
Braden Innes
Armour Johnson
Luis Javier
Michael Lim *
Colin Loerkhe
Liam Natarajan
Haoran Peng
Tyler Santos * +
Nick Seamons
DaShaundre Steele +
Caleb Strader * +
Luke Van Sickle
BASSES
Thayden Boome * +
Gray Creech *
Will Cummings
Mario D’Ambrosio
Luke Granger +
Jack Hawley
Will Henry +
Aidan Maynard
Gavin Morrow
Timon Nguyenphuoc
Paul (Pavlo) Orekhov
Felix Solem
Noah Tonneson
Robbie Troyan
Danny Vizenor * +
Seattle University Combined Choirs
Leann Conley-Holcom, Conductor
Ella Kalinichenko, Collaborative Pianist
Visiting Director, Larke Witten
SOPRANOS
Sarah Brown
Lauren Ghrist *
Grace Ginaven
Sophia Hampton
Grace Haueisen
Sam Henry
Jenna Kober
Ava Lauer
Calia Lockey
Tira McGavin
Hope Onstad *
Sophia Orlando
Chloe Platt
Ginger Schreiber
Alana Taitague
Ruby Thomas
Rachel Williams
Joanna Wong
ALTOS
Mo (Sara) Afrasiabi
Mia Baumgartner
Priya Bhananker
Bonnie Bowie
Leslie Cea
Katrina Herzog
Ellie Lawrence
Jaylen Leonard *
Patty Lott
Soren Marclei
Jenna Matsumoto *
Kimaya Mehta
Madeleine Noreen
Miko Ouano
Sandy Renner
Randee Robinson
Kathleen Seymour
Susan Sommer
Larke Witten
TENORS
Giancarlo Agogliati *
Jessica Albert
Teddy Lofberg
Joe Orlando
Lucas Smith
Peter Ukrainetz
Doug Young
BASSES
Matthew Belshan
Cameron Chiao *
Maximo Glassman
Easton Harrel
Rik Lambey
Kendrick Mangmati *
Mitchie Vega
Miles Wahlstrom
Leo Winkler
Justyn Yap