TPA Program - Conspirare: Considering Matthew Shepard
CONSIDERING MaTTHEW Shepard
AN ORDINARY BOY WHOSE LIFE BECAME A MOVEMENT
COMPOSED AND CONDUCTED BY
CRAIG HELLA JOHNSON
PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS AS part of their 2024/2025 SEASON
THURSDAY OCTOBER 3 7:30 PM
BASS CONCERT HALL, AUSTIN, TX
Post-Concert Talkback with Judy & Dennis Shepard and Craig Hella Johnson
THURSDAY OCTOBER 10 8:00 PM
MANN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, PHILADELPHIA, PA
THANK YOU to our Considering Matthew Shepard Concert Sponsors:
LEAD PRODUCER
Lynne Dobson & Greg Wooldridge
INSPIRATION CATALYST
Fran & Larry Collmann
Tina & Dale Knobel
Lee Manford & Casey Blass
Anonymous
AGENT OF CHANGE J. Randle Adair
Marvin Brittman
William G. Fivecoat
Sheri Clark Henriksen in honor of Elliott Forrest
Anonymous
BOOSTER
Leslie “Les” Q. Brown
Rick and Linda Glasgow’s eLJay Foundation
Susanna & Richard H. Finnell
H-E-B
Joey M. Martin
Matthew Shepard Foundation
Kerry Tate
“ALL OF US” SHEET MUSIC SPONSOR
Hal Leonard
With a libretto as diverse and ingenious as its musical palette, and music that touches the soul with its exuberance, its lyricism and its immediacy, Considering Matthew Shepard manages to reach and unite all audiences with a palpable sense of community and love. This is a work that must be experienced, relished, and shared well into the future.
The musical fabric of Considering Matthew Shepard is ingeniously woven of contrasting styles heretofore unseen within the framework of a single passion oratorio - including that of Broadway musical, Country & Western, Blues/Jazz, Pop, Southern Hymnody, and Gospel. And yet, the score is nonetheless firmly rooted in our Western choral tradition.
The breadth and diversity creates a musical tent large enough to welcome the broadest of audiences. It is as relevant today in 2024 as it was when Craig and Conspirare debuted in 2016.
– Daniel Bara
Interim Director, Hugh Hodgson School of Music
John D. Boyd UGA Foundation Professor of Choral Music
FROM THE 2018 STAGING OF CONSIDERING MATTHEW SHEPARD
Considering Matthew Shepard
Libretto
Commissioned by Fran and Larry Collmann and Conspirare
Dedicated to Philip Overbaugh
PROLOGUE
Cattle, Horses, Sky and Grass
Ordinary Boy
We Tell Each Other Stories
PASSION
The Fence (before)
The Fence (that night)
A Protestor
Keep It Away From Me (The Wound of Love)
Fire of the Ancient Heart
I Am Like You
We Are All Sons
The Innocence
The Fence (one week later)
Stars
In Need of Breath
Gently, Rest (Deer Lullaby)
Deer Song (Mist on the Mountains)
The Fence (after) / The Wind
Pilgrimage
EPILOGUE
Meet Me Here
Thanks All of Us
REPRISE
This Chant of Life Cattle, Horses, Sky and Grass
PROLOGUE
All.
Yoodle—ooh, yoodle-ooh-hoo, so sings a lone cowboy, Who with the wild roses wants you to be free.
Cattle, Horses, Sky and Grass
Cattle, horses, sky and grass
These are the things that sway and pass Before our eyes and through our dreams Through shiny, sparkly, golden gleams Within our psyche that find and know The value of this special glow That only gleams for those who bleed Their soul and heart and utter need
These cattle, horses, grass, and sky Dance and dance and never die They circle through the realms of air And ground and empty spaces where A human being can join the song Can circle, too, and not go wrong Amidst the natural, pulsing forces Of sky and grass and cows and horses.
I’m alive, I’m alive, I’m alive . . .
This chant of life cannot be heard It must be felt, there is no word To sing that could express the true Significance of how we wind Through all these hoops of Earth and mind Through horses, cattle, sky and grass And all these things that sway and pass.
Ordinary Boy
Let’s talk about Matt—
Ordinary boy, ordinary boy, ordinary boy . . .
Born in December in Casper, Wyoming
Ordinary boy
to a father, Dennis and a mother, Judy
Ordinary boy, ordinary boy
Then came a younger brother, Logan
Ordinary boy
His name was Matthew Wayne Shepard. And one day his name came to be known around the world. But as his mother said:
Judy Shepard: You knew him as Matthew. To us he was Matt.
He went camping, he went fishing, even hunting for a moose He read plays and he read stories and especially Dr. Seuss He wrote poems with illustrations for the neighbors on the street And he left them in each mailbox till he learned it was illegal
He made friends and he wore braces and his frame was rather small He sang songs his father taught him
Frère Jacques . . . Row Row Row Your Boat . . . Twinkle Twinkle Little Star . . .
Judy: He was my son, my first-born, and more. He was my friend, my confidant, my constant reminder of how good life can be —and . how hurtful.
How good life can be, how good life can be
Judy: Matt’s laugh, his wonderful hugs, his stories . . . Matt writes about himself in a notebook:
I am funny, sometimes forgetful and messy and lazy. I am not a lazy person though.
I am giving and understanding. And formal and polite. I am sensitive. I am honest. I am sincere. And I am not a pest.
I am not a pest, I am not a pest . .
I am my own person. I am warm.
I want my life to be happy and I want to be clearer about things. I want to feel good.
I love Wyoming . . .
I love Wyoming very much . . .
I love theatre
I love good friends
I love succeeding
I love pasta
I love jogging
I love walking and feeling good
I love Europe and driving and music and helping and smiling and Charlie and Jeopardy
I love movies and eating and positive people and pasta and driving and walking and jogging and kissing and learning and airports and music and smiling and hugging and being myself
I love theatre! I love theatre!
And I love to be on stage!+
Such an ordinary boy living ordinary days
In an ordinary life so worth living
He felt ordinary yearning and ordinary fears With an ordinary hope for belonging
He felt ordinary yearning and ordinary fears With an ordinary hope for belonging (Born to live this ordinary life)
Just an ordinary boy living ordinary days with extraordinary kindness
extraordinary laughter extraordinary shining extraordinary light and joy Joy and light.
I love, I love, I love .
Ordinary boy, ordinary boy
We Tell Each Other Stories
We tell each other stories so that we will remember Try and find the meaning in the living of our days
Always telling stories, wanting to remember Where and whom we came from Who we are
Sometimes there’s a story that’s painful to remember
One that breaks the heart of us all Still we tell the story We’re listening and confessing What we have forgotten In the story of us all
We tell each other stories so that we will remember Trying to find the meaning .
I am open to hear this story about a boy, an ordinary boy Who never had expected his life would be this story, (could be any boy)
I am open to hear a story
Open, listen. All.
PASSION
RECITATION I
Laramie, southeastern Wyoming, between the Snowy Range and the Laramie Range. Tuesday, October 6, 1998.
The Fence (before)
Out and alone on the endless empty prairie the moon bathes me the stars bless me
the sun warms me the wind soothes me
still still still I wonder
will I always be out here exposed and alone?
will I ever know why I was put (here) on this earth?
will somebody someday stumble upon me?
will anyone remember me after I’m gone?
Still, still, still . . I wonder.
RECITATION II
Tuesday night. Matthew attended a meeting of the University of Wyoming’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Association, then joined others for coffee at the College Inn. Around 10:30, he went to the Fireside Bar, where he later met Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. Near midnight, they drove him to a remote area, tied him to a split-rail fence, beat him horribly and left him to die in the cold of night.
The Fence (THAT NIGHT)
Most noble evergreen with your roots in the sun: you shine in the cloudless sky of a sphere no earthly eminence can grasp, You blush like the dawn, you burn like a flame of the sun.
I held him all night long
He was heavy as a broken heart Tears fell from his unblinking eyes He was dead weight yet he kept breathing
He was heavy as a broken heart His own heart wouldn’t stop beating The cold wind wouldn’t stop blowing His face streaked with moonlight and blood I tightened my grip and held on
The cold wind wouldn’t stop blowing We were out on the prairie alone I tightened my grip and held on I saw what was done to this child
We were out on the prairie alone Their truck was the last thing he saw I saw what was done to this child I cradled him just like a mother
Most noble evergreen, most noble evergreen, your roots in the sun .
I held him all night long Their truck was the last thing he saw Tears fell from his unblinking eyes I cradled him just like a mother
Most noble evergreen . . .
The next morning, Matthew was found by a cyclist, a fellow student, who at first thought he was a scarecrow.
After several days in a coma and on life support, Matthew Shepard died on Monday, October 12, at 12:53 a.m. At the funeral, which took place on Friday, October 16, at St Mark’s Episcopal Church in Casper, Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church protested outside.
A Protestor
God Hates Fags, Matt in Hell – Signs held by anti-gay protestors at Matthew Shepard’s funeral and the trials of his murderers
A boy who takes a boy to bed? Where I come from that’s not polite He asked for it, you got that right The fires of Hell burn hot and red The only good fag is a fag that’s dead
A man and a woman, the Good Lord said As sure as Eve took that first bite The fires of Hell burn hot and red
kreuzige, kreuzige!
Beneath the Hunter’s Moon he bled That must have been a pretty sight The fires of Hell burn hot and red
C’mon, kids, it’s time for bed
Say your prayers, kiss Dad good night
A boy who takes a boy to bed? The fires of Hell burn hot and red
crucify, crucify . . . the light
crucify the light . . .
Keep It Away From Me
(The Wound of Love)
don’t wanna look on this never get near flames too raw for me grief too deep keep it away from me stay out of my heart stay out of my hope some son, somebody’s pain some child gone child never mine born to this trouble don’t wanna be born to this world world where sometimes yes world where mostly no the wound of love
smoke round my throat rain down my soul no heaven lies keep them gone keep them never grief too deep, flames too raw keep them away from me stay out of my heart stay out of my hope don’t try any old story on me no wing no song no cry no comfort ye no wound ever mine close up the gates of night the wound of love keep this all away from me the wound of love you take away the wounds of the world keep it away from me
RECITATION IV
National media began to broadcast the story. As the news began to spread, many people across the country gathered together in candlelight vigils, moved to (silently) speak for life over death, love over hate, light over darkness.
Fire of the Ancient Heart
Cantor:
“What have you done? Hark, thy brother’s blood cries to me from the ground.”
Choir:
Called by this candle Led to the flame Called to remember Enter the flame
Cantor: all our flames now swaying and free all our hearts now moving as one every living spirit turned toward peace all our tender hopes awake
Choir:
Called by this candle Led to the flame Called to remember Enter the flame
Fire: howl
Fire: broken
Fire: burst
Fire: rage
Fire: swell
Fire: shatter
Fire: wail
Fire
We all betray the ancient heart Ev’ry one of us, all of us
His heart, my heart, your heart, one heart “In each moment the fire rages, it will burn away a hundred veils.” Burning Breaking Grasping Raging
how do we keep these flames in our hands? how do we guard these fears in our hearts? how long to hold these griefs in our songs?
remembering anger weave it with hope remembering exile braid it with praise longing past horror longing past dread dreaming of healing past all our pain
Fire: living in me Fire: purify Fire: now hold me Fire: seize my heart
(enter the flame, enter the flame shatter my heart, shatter my heart called to enter, burn a hundred veils)
Called by this flame Fire of my heart: Break down all walls Open all doors Only this Love
“Eyes of flesh, eyes of fire”
Lumina, lumina, lumina Open us, All!
(In each moment the fire rages, it will burn away a hundred veils.)
RECITATION V
Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson were arrested shortly after the attack and charged with murder, kidnapping, and aggravated robbery. The first of two trials began on October 26, 1999; both were convicted of the murder and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences.
We Are All Sons
Stray birds of summer come to my window to sing and fly away.
And yellow leaves of autumn which have no songs flutter and fall there with a sigh.
Once we dreamt that we were strangers.
We wake up to find that we were dear to each other.
I Am Like You
I am like you
Aaron and Russell
When I think of you (and honestly I don’t like to think about you) but sometimes I do, I am so horrified, and just so angry and confused (and scared) that you could do things to another boy—they were so cruel and so undeserved, so dark and hard and full of (I don’t know)
am I like you? (in any way)
(I pray the answer is no) Am I like you?
I bet you once had hopes and dreams, too.
I am like you, I get confused and I’m afraid and I’ve been reckless, I’ve been restless, bored, unthinking, listless, intoxicated, I’ve come unhinged, and made mistakes and hurt people very much.
Sometimes I feel (in springtime, in early afternoon) the sunshine warm on my face; you feel this too (don’t you?), the sunshine warm on your face.
I am like you. (this troubles me). I am like you (just needed to say this).
Some things we love get lost along the way.
we are all sons of fathers and mothers we are all sons
sometimes no home for us here on the earth no place to lay our heads we are all sons of fathers and mothers
if you could know for one moment how it is to live in our bodies within the world
if you could know
you ask too much of us you ask too little
RECITATION VI
In the days and weeks after Matthew’s death, many people came to the fence to pay homage and pray and grieve.
The Fence (one week later)
I have seen people come out here with a pocketknife and take a piece of the fence, like a relic, like an icon.
Rev. Stephen M. Johnson, Unitarian minister
I keep still I stand firm I hold my ground while they lay down
flowers and photos prayers and poems crystals and candles sticks and stones
they come in herds they stand and stare they sit and sigh they crouch and cry some of them touch me in unexpected ways without asking permission and then move on
but I don’t mind being a shrine is better than being the scene of the crime
RECITATION VII
Matthew’s father made his statement to the court on November 5, 1999.
Stars
By the end of the beating, his body was just trying to survive. You left him out there by himself, but he wasn’t alone. There were his lifelong friends with him—friends that he had grown up with. You’re probably wondering who these friends were. First, he had the beautiful night sky with the same stars and moon that we used to look at through a telescope. Then, he had the daylight and the sun to shine on him one more time—one more cool, wonderful autumn day in Wyoming. His last day alive in Wyoming. His last day alive in the state that he always proudly called home. And through it all he was breathing in for the last time the smell of Wyoming sagebrush and the scent of pine trees from the snowy range. He heard the wind—the ever-present Wyoming wind—for the last time. He had one more friend with him. One he grew to know through his time in Sunday school and as an acolyte at St. Mark’s in Casper as well as through his visits to St. Matthew’s in Laramie.
I feel better knowing he wasn’t alone.
Stars across scattered the sky in blinking dismay unable being to help light years away
RECITATION VIII
Matthew was left tied to the fence for almost eighteen hours.
In Need of Breath
Matt:
My heart
Is an unset jewel Upon the tender night
Yearning for its dear old friend The Moon.
When the Nameless One debuts again Ten thousand facets of my being unfurl wings And reveal such a radiance inside
I enter a realm divine ̶ I too begin to sweetly cast light, Like a lamp, I cast light Through the streets of this World.
My heart is an unset jewel Upon existence Waiting for the Friend’s touch.
Tonight
Tonight
My heart is an unset ruby Offered bowed and weeping to the Sky. I am dying in these cold hours For the resplendent glance of God.
My heart Is an unset jewel Upon the tender night
My heart is an unset ruby Offered bowed and weeping to the Sky.
RECITATION IX
Sheriff’s Deputy, Reggie Fluty, the first to report to the scene, told Judy Shepard that as she ran to the fence she saw a large doe lying near Matt—as if the deer had been keeping him company all through the night.
Deer Song
Deer:
A mist is over the mountain, The stars in their meadows upon the air, Your people are waiting below them, And you know there’s a gathering there.
All night I lay there beside you, I cradled your pain in my care, We move through creation together, And we know there’s a welcoming there.
Welcome, welcome, sounds the song, Calling, calling clear; Always with us, evergreen heart, Where can we be but there?
Matthew:
I’ll find all the love I have longed for, The home that’s been calling my heart so long So soon I’ll be cleansed in those waters,
My fevers forever be gone; Where else on earth but these waters?
No more, no more to be torn;
My own ones, my dearest, are waiting ̶ And I’ll weep to be where I belong.
Welcome, welcome, sounds the song, Calling, calling clear; Always with me, evergreen heart, Where can I be but here?
RECITATION X
The fence has been torn down. People still come to pay their respects.
The Fence (after) / The Wind
prayed upon frowned upon
revered feared adored abhorred
despised idolized
splintered scarred
weathered worn broken down broken up
ripped apart ripped away gone but not forgotten
The North Wind carried his father’s laugh The South Wind carried his mother’s song The East Wind carried his brother’s cheer The West Wind carried his lover’s moan
The Winds of the World wove together a prayer to carry that hurt boy home
prayed upon frowned upon
revered feared
North Wind, South Wind, East Wind, West Wind
Pilgrimage
The land was sold and a new fence now stands about fifty yards away. People still come to pay their respects.
– Jim Osborn, friend of Matthew Shepard
I walk to the fence with beauty before me The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want
I walk to the fence with beauty behind me Yit’gadal v’yit’ kadash (may his great name grow)
I walk to the fence with beauty above me
Om Mani Padme Ham (Om! the jewel in the lotus, hum!)
I walk to the fence with beauty below me Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit
I reach the fence surrounded by beauty wail of wind, cry of hawk
I leave the fence surrounded by beauty sigh of sagebrush, hush of stone
(Beauty above me, beauty below me By beauty surrounded)
Still, still, still, I wonder.... wail of wind, cry of hawk
Still, still, still, I wonder. . wail of wind, cry of hawk
Lay it down, come with me It will never be forgotten
Held in love, so tenderly
Then we’ll come to the mountain
We’ll go bounding to see That great circle of dancing
And we’ll dance endlessly
And we’ll dance with the all the children
Who’ve been lost along the way
We will welcome each other Coming home, this glorious day
We are home in the mountain
And we’ll gently understand That we’ve been friends forever That we’ve never been alone
We’ll sing on through any darkness And our Song will be our sight We can learn to offer praise again Coming home to the light . . .
Thanks
Choir: Thank you
Listen with the night falling we are saying thank you we are stopping on the bridges to bow from the railings we are running out of the glass rooms with our mouths full of food to look at the sky and say thank you we are standing by the water thanking it standing by the windows looking out in our directions
back from a series of hospitals back from a mugging after funerals we are saying thank you after the news of the dead whether or not we knew them we are saying thank you
over telephones we are saying thank you in doorways and in the backs of cars and in elevators remembering wars and the police at the door and the beatings on stairs we are saying thank you in the banks we are saying thank you in the faces of the officials and the rich and of all who will never change we go on saying thank you thank you
Hohou, Yontonwe . .
Thank you
with the animals dying around us taking our feelings we are saying thank you with the forests falling faster than the minutes of our lives we are saying thank you with the words going out like cells of a brain with the cities growing over us we are saying thank you faster and faster with nobody listening we are saying thank you thank you we are saying and waving dark though it is
All Of Us
What could be the song?
Where begin again? Who could meet us there?
Where might we begin?
From the shadows climb,
Rise to sing again; Where could be the joy?
How do we begin?
Never our despair,
Never the least of us, Never turn away,
Never hide our face; Ordinary boy,
Only all of us, Free us from our fear,
Only all of us.
Only in the Love,
Love that lifts us up, Clear from out the heart
From the mountain’s side, Come creation come,
Strong as any stream; How can we let go? How can we forgive?
How can we be dream?
Out of heaven, rain,
Rain to wash us free; Rivers flowing on,
Ever to the sea; Bind up every wound,
Every cause to grieve; Always to forgive,
Only to believe.
[Chorale:]
Most noble Light, Creation’s face, How should we live but joined in you, Remain within your saving grace Through all we say and do And know we are the Love that moves The sun and all the stars?+
O Love that dwells, O Love that burns In every human heart.
(Only in the Love, Love that lifts us up!)
This evergreen, this heart, this soul, Now moves us to remake our world, Reminds us how we are to be Your people born to dream; How old this joy, how strong this call, To sing your radiant care With every voice, in cloudless hope Of our belonging here.
Only in the Love, Love that lifts us up, Clear from out the heart From out the mountain’s side, Come creation come, Strong as any stream; How can we let go? How can we forgive? How can we be dream?
Out of heaven, rain, Rain to wash us free; Rivers running on, Ever to the sea; Bind up every wound, Every cause to grieve; Always to forgive, Only to believe.
REPRISE
This Chant of Life (Cattle, Horses, Sky and Grass)
(This chant of life cannot be heard It must be felt, there is no word To sing that could express the true Significance of how we wind Through all these hoops of Earth and mind Through horses, cattle, sky and grass And all these things that sway and pass.)
“Introduction” from OCTOBER MOURNING: A SONG FOR MATTHEW SHEPARD by Lesléa
Newman
On Tuesday, October 6, 1998, at approximately 11:45 p.m., twenty-one-year-old Matthew Shepard, a gay college student attending the University of Wyoming, was kidnapped from a bar by twenty-one-year old Aaron McKinney and twenty-one-year-old Russell Henderson. Pretending to be gay, the two men lured Matthew Shepard into their truck, drove him to the outskirts of Laramie, robbed him, beat him with a pistol, tied him to a buck-rail fence, and left him to die. The next day, at about 6:00 p.m. – eighteen hours after the attack – he was discovered and taken to a hospital. He never regained consciousness and died five days later, on Monday, October 12, with his family by his side.
One of the last things Matthew Shepard did that Tuesday night was attend a meeting of the University of Wyoming’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Association. The group was putting final touches on plans for Gay Awareness Week, scheduled to begin the following Sunday, October 11, coinciding with a National Coming Out Day. Planned campus activities included a film showing, an open poetry reading, and a keynote speaker.
That keynote speaker was me.
I never forgot what happened in Laramie, and around the tenth anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death, I found myself thinking more and more about him. And so I began writing a series of poems, striving to create a work of art that explores the events surrounding Matthew Shepard’s murder in order to gain a better understanding of their impact on myself and the world.
What really happened at the fence that night? Only three people know the answer to that question. Two of them are imprisoned, convicted murderers whose stories often contradict each other (for example, in separate interviews both McKinney and Henderson have claimed that he alone tied Matthew Shepard to the fence). The other person who knows what really happened that night is dead. We will never know his side of the story.
This book is my side of the story.
While the poems in this book are inspired by actual events, they do not in any way represent the statements, thoughts, feelings, opinions, or attitudes of any actual person. The statements, thoughts, feelings, opinions, and attitudes conveyed belong to me. All monologues contained within the poems are figments of my imagination; no actual person spoke any of the words contained within the body of any poem. Those words are mine and mine alone. When the words of an actual person are used as a short epiraph for a poem, the source of that quote is cited at the back of the book in a section entitled “Notes,” which contains citations and suggestions for further reading about the crime. The poems, which are meant to be read in sequential order as one whole work, are a work of poetic invention and imagination: a historical novel in verse. The poems are not an objective reporting of Matthew Shepard’s murder and its aftermath; rather they are my own personal interpretation of them.
There is a bench on the campus of the University of Wyoming dedicated to Matthew Shepard, inscribed with the words He continues to make a difference. My hope is that readers of October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard will be inspired to make a difference and honor his legacy by erasing hate and replacing it with compassion, understanding, and love.
Brendan Jacob Smith Brooklyn, NY Jason Vest Cincinnati, OH
Gregory Fletcher Moreno Valley, CA
Rick Gabrillo Round Rock, TX
Robert Harlan Austin, TX
Michael Hawes Pflugerville, TX
BASS
Enrico Lagasca New York, NY
Tim O’Brien Austin, TX
John Proft Austin, TX
Jonathan Woody New York, NY
PERCUSSIONISTS
“Fire of the Ancient Heart” Guest percussionists from the The University of Texas Percussion Studio:
Clinton J. Washington III Lugoff, SC
Jenna Boone Rocklin, CA
Chia-Yu Lin
Taoyuan City, Taiwan
CO-PRODUCER & STAGE DIRECTOR
Elliott Forrest
Peabody Award winning broadcaster, director, producer, designer, filmmaker. Midday host on New York’s Classical Radio Station 105.9FM, WQXR. Founding Executive Artistic Director of ArtsRock.org of Rockland County, NY. Co-Creator, Producer, Projection Designer of the National Tours of An Evening with Itzhak Perlman and Micheal Feinstein Celebrates Judy Garland and Tony Bennett. Director, award-winning documentary with violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins Face to Face: Forgotten Voices Heard, premiered at Carnegie Hall. Host of the national radio concerts of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
Co-Director and Projection Designer: NY Production with Trinity Wall Street, National Tour and PBS-TV Special of Considering Matthew Shepard by Craig Hella Johnson. Executive Producer, The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park on the Radio of Richard II. Director, Aid News, MCC Theater, NY. Directed productions of A Christmas Carol with David Hyde Pierce, F. Murray Abraham, Brian Cox, Tony Roberts, Kathleen Turner. Featured on Grammy winning comedy album WTWP: Classical Talkity Talk Radio with Peter Schickele.
Regularly produces, directs and designs symphony concerts: LA Philharmonic, The NY Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, New Haven Symphony, Pasadena Pops and the Little Orchestra Society in venues including the Kennedy Center, Hollywood Bowl and Lincoln Center. Orchestra narrator: Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals, Peter and the Wolf, Lincoln Portrait For 12 years, Host, A&E Television Breakfast with the Arts. Was on the Gong Show with Chuck Barris in the 1970’s. Co-host, The Late, Late Radio Show with Tom Snyder. Theater Grad, University of Texas, Austin. www.elliottforrest.com
CO-PRODUCER & STAGE DIRECTOR
Rod Caspers
Rod Caspers served as the Executive Director of University Events at The University of Texas at Austin – creating and producing a wide variety of special events. Prior to that he served as the Executive Director of Creative Services for the UT System, where he and colleagues received five Lone Star Emmy Awards for creating/ producing the PBS series, State of Tomorrow He has taught and directed at the University of Wisconsin and The University of Texas at Austin. While at UT he received the Margaret C. Berry Award for Outstanding Contribution to Student Life as well as being named a Top Hand by the Ex-Students’ Association. Directing credits include Merrily We Roll Along, The Secret Garden, Big River, Honk!, Ah, Wilderness!, Branson or Bust, The Rivers and Ravines and The Bat (a new adaption of Die Fledermaus). Stage managing credits include The Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes (seven seasons) and Jim Henson’s Musical World at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops, the Muppets and the casts of Avenue Q and Sesame Street Rod conducts directing/curriculum workshops across the country and served as a guest artist for the Facing History and Ourselves program in Switzerland and the Czech Republic. He co-produced/directed the Texas Medal of Arts Celebration for the Texas Cultural Trust and recently directed Darden Smith’s Western Skies. Rod staged the original production of Conspirare’s Considering Matthew Shepard as well as consequent productions across the US. Last year he co-directed the NYC production at Trinity Wall Street.
viola
Ames Asbell Austin, TX
percussion Thomas Burritt Leander, TX
double bass Utah Hamrick San Marcos, TX
cello
Douglas Harvey Austin, TX
violin
Stephen Redfield Santa Fe, NM
clarinet
Vanguel Tangarov Austin, TX
guitar
Mitch Watkins Austin, TX
conductor and pianist understudy
Austin Haller
SET DESIGNER
Nate Bertone
Nate Bertone is a NYC-based theatrical storyteller who has worked internationally as a director, designer, playwright, and producer. His work has been seen at Lincoln Center, Disney’s D23 Expo, Google, and regional theaters across the country. Recently, he co-produced the new musical How to Dance in Ohio on Broadway, Your Lie in April on the West End, and Co-Produced/Directed/Designed the Australian tour of Alice in Wonderland. As the Associate to Tony AwardWinning Designer Beowulf Boritt: Be More Chill (West End/Japan), Crazy for You (LCT), Superhero (2ST). Assistant to: Harmony New York, New York Freestyle Love Supreme, A Bronx Tale (Broadway). His plays Letters From War and The SeaView Nursing Home for the Newly Deceased are currently in development. Nate’s children’s book Nana Nana was published in September 2024 and was created in benefit of Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen’s Hilarity for Charity and The Alzheimer’s Association. He is a proud member of The Dramatists Guild and USA829. Nate is represented by the Gersh Agency. Carnegie Mellon University Alumnus. Dean’s Scholar of Central Saint Martins, London. @natebertone / natebertone.com
ASSISTANT SET DESIGNER
Matthew Herman
COSTUME DESIGNER
Claudia Stefany
Claudia Stefany is a freelance Costume Designer and Wardrobe Supervisor in the greater NY/NJ/CT area having won an OnStage Critics award for Best Costume Design for Sunday In The Park With George A native of Cleveland and a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace University, she previously served as the Associate Artistic Director at the SHAPE Performing Arts Centre outside of Brussels, Belgium. She is currently on the Board of Directors at Elmwood Playhouse in Nyack, New York and is the Wardrobe Supervisor at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival in Garrison, New York. – Deep gratitude to Elliott and Rod for bringing me along to help tell this remarkable story. claudiastefany.com
PROJECTION DESIGNER
Camilla Tassi
Camilla Tassi is a NYC-based projection designer and musician from Florence, Italy. Design credits include Falling Out of Time (Carnegie Hall), King Arthur (Lincoln Center, Juilliard415), Seachange (Miami City Ballet), Elijah Reimagined (Kennedy Center), Adoration (Beth Morrison Projects), L’Orfeo (Apollo’s Fire Tour), Malhaar (Walt Disney Concert Hall, LA Master Chorale), Path of Miracles (Conspirare), The Extinctionist (Heartbeat Opera), The Listeners (Princeton Glee Club), Sandra (TheaterWorks Hartford), Iphigénie en Tauride (Boston Baroque), American Railroad (Silkroad Ensemble Tour), La bohème (Music Academy of the West), The Hunt (Miller Theater), and Alcina (Yale Opera). Broadway: Illinoise, Associate. She has sung with the Yale Schola Cantorum and NY Philharmonic. Tassi has guest lectured at institutions including Princeton, Dartmouth, Penn State, and Yale. 2022 Burry Fredrik design award, 2023 Robert L. Tobin Opera DirectorDesigner prize. Tassi holds degrees in computer science, music, and projection design. She completed her MFA in Design at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, under Wendall Harrington. @camtassi / camillatassi.com
LIGHTING DESIGNER & STAGE MANAGER
Viera Buzgova
Viera Buzgova’s experience in the world of music is multi-faceted: she studied piano for 12 years, received her Bachelor’s degree in church music, sang in many choirs, played various percussion instruments, and has been involved in many aspects of the production side of choral performance. Her light design and theatrical production career began in 1998 while working as a Technical Director with Concordia University at Austin theater program. During her 10-year tenure there, she directed light design, set design and construction, and stage crew management. Since 2012, she has been working with Grammy-award winning Conspirare in various production roles, including stage management and light design. Outside of her production life, Viera is an owner and managing partner of an Austin-based immigration law firm.
MASTER ELECTRICIAN & LIGHTING DESIGNER
Sam Tompkins Martin
Previous credits with Conspirare include Christmas tours 2022 & 2023 and The Muse Speaks: The House of Belonging in 2023. Other lighting design, programming, and production work with the University of Texas at Austin, Austin Shakespeare, ZACH Theatre, and onscreen for Netflix & Google. A native of Richmond, VA Sam holds a degree in theatre from Vermont’s Middlebury College & worked in Massachusetts and New York before relocating to Texas in 2021.
ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGN
Kate Hazzard
CO-PRODUCER & TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Robert Harlan
Robert Harlan is a founding member of Conspirare, singing in the chamber choir and Symphonic every season for the last 31 years. He has also served as Technical Director for the last 15 years, where he has assisted in producing, designing and executing all of Conspirare’s tours, concerts, recordings and films. Robert performs with professional choirs around the country and has a background in musical theater, art and engineering. Robert designed the Considering Matthew Shepard touring set and fence and designs the Conspirare Christmas concert stage annually at the Long Center. He is co-producer of the Conspirare Christmas recordings and spearheaded the technical aspects of remote audio/video recording for in-home video concerts.
SOUND DESIGN
Randall Squires
MONITOR ENGINEER
Juno Black
PROJECTIONS ASSISTANTS
Ben G. Randall (AUSTIN) Mark Williams (PHILADELPHIA)
POET / CO-LIBRETTIST
Michael Dennis Browne
Michael Dennis Browne came to the United States in 1965 from England, where he was born, of mostly Irish ancestry, in 1940. After graduating from the University of Iowa, he taught at Iowa, Columbia, Bennington, and the University of Minnesota. He is now a professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota, where he taught for thirty-nine years, served a term as director of the creative writing program, and was a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers.
Browne’s poems have been published in many magazines and anthologies, and his awards include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bush Foundation, the Jerome Foundation, and the McKnight Foundation. Two of his collections have won the Minnesota Book Award for poetry. His most recent collection of poems, The Voices was published by Carnegie Mellon in 2016. As a librettist, he has written many texts for music, working for many years with composer Stephen Paulus. Their post-Holocaust oratorio, To Be Certain of the Dawn, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in music by the Minnesota Orchestra. Other composers he has worked with include John Foley S.J., Carolyn Jennings, Juliana Hall, Tim Takach and Craig Hella Johnson, with whom he recently collaborated on Considering Matthew Shepard.
He lives in Minneapolis and is married to Lisa McLean; their children are Peter, Mary, and Nellie.
POET / AUTHOR
Lesléa Newman
Lesléa Newman has created 85 books for readers of all ages, including the novel-in-verse, October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard ; the fully illustrated poetic biography, Always Matt: A Tribute to Matthew Shepard ; a pair of memoirs-in-verse, I Carry My Mother and I Wish My Father; the short story collection, A Letter to Harvey Milk ; the middle-grade novel, Hachiko Waits ; and the children’s books, Sparkle Boy ; The Babka Sisters ; The Fairest in the Land ; The Boy Who Cried Fabulous ; A Fire Engine for Ruthie ; Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed ; Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale With A Tail ; and Heather Has Two Mommies Her literary awards include poetry fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Artists Foundation; two National Jewish Book Awards; two American Library Association Stonewall Honors; the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award; the Golden Crown Literary Society Trailblazer Lifetime Achievement Award; the Matthew Shepard Foundation Making a Difference Award; and the Massachusetts Book Award. Her books have been translated into Chinese, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Turkish, and Swedish. From 2008 – 2010, she served as the poet laureate of Northampton, MA. Currently she teaches at the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing. www.lesleanewman.com
Production Team
CO-PRODUCERS
Rod Caspers
Elliott Forrest
Robert Harlan
Craig Hella Johnson
Ann McNair
CREW
Jon Fritzlen
Lalo Rodríguez
Sarah Williams
PRODUCTION PARTNERS
Mann Center for the Performing Arts
Nomad Sound
Texas Performing Arts
TSV Sound & Vision
PRINTED PROGRAM DESIGN
Karin Elsener
AMBASSADORS
Camille Atkins Hardeman
Janet Bezner
Michelle Fisher
Stephanie Foster
Rod Howard
Virginia Hyde
Jimmie Johnson
Sibylle Rhein
Conspirare is grateful to our Ambassadors for serving as ushers, providing office and storage assistance, and many other jobs that keep us singing!
To learn more about becoming an Ambassador, contact Ali Lewis at alewis@conspirare.org.
WITH GRATITUDE TO OUR Friends and Supporters
Andrea Ariel Movement Specialist
Bob Bursey
Texas Performing Arts
Mann Center for the Performing Arts
Karrie League
Philip Overbaugh
Eric Hungerford
Austin Film Society
ARTIST HOSTS
Charles Barnett
Deborah Dobbs
Lynne Dobson
& Greg Wooldridge
Jeanne & Rick Farleigh
Gwen Flory
Gitanjali Mathur & Ciji Isen
Rebecca & Ted Mercado
DeeAnne & Steve Paulson
Karon Rilling & Judy Mattair
Teresa Ringness
Lester Tanquilut
Sandra & Bob Tomlinson
Russ & Janey Trowbridge
Conspirare is grateful to our Artist Hosts for providing artist accommodations. If you have a spare bedroom (or more!) and would like to learn more about hosting an artist, please contact Meri Krueger at mkrueger@conspirare.org.
Performance Note
Conspirare performs in venues that best enhance choral performances. We acknowledge that some performing venues and some of the choral repertoire represent specific religious and cultural history. We do not intend to exclude any individual whose experience or beliefs are not represented. Conspirare respects and celebrates the great diversity of religious, artistic, and human experiences represented among our singers, musicians, and audience members. We believe the audience creates the space in which the music is held.
CONSPIRARE
CRAIG HELLA JOHNSON
is the founding artistic director and conductor of Conspirare. Beloved for crafting thought-provoking musical journeys that create deep connections between performers and listeners, Hella Johnson is also Artistic Partner at the Oregon Bach Festival. Hella Johnson is a celebrated guest conductor of choral and orchestral works, a published composer, arranger, and educator. Hella Johnson is an Artist in Residence at Texas State University, earning the 2022 Presidential Award for Excellence in Scholarly/ Creative Activities.
Hella Johnson’s concert-length composition Considering Matthew Shepard was premiered and recorded by Conspirare and continues to have broad national and international reach, having been performed by more than 60 choirs worldwide.
Hella Johnson’s accomplishments have been recognized with numerous awards and honors. Notably among them, he and Conspirare won a 2015 GRAMMY® for Best Choral Performance. His honors also include Chorus America’s Michael Korn Founders Award for Development of the Professional Choral, Texas State Musician, the Matthew Shepard Foundation’s Dennis Dougherty Award for Community Leadership and most recently, Wartburg College’s 2023 Graven Award.
is a GRAMMY®-winning choir and nonprofit performing arts and music education organization that believes in the power of music to change lives, inspire peace, and foster belonging. Conspirare was established in 1991 in Austin, Texas, by Craig Hella Johnson and a band of dedicated supporters.
Conspirare shares the gift of singing through:
Conspirare: A Company of Voices
Our GRAMMY®-winning professional choir that performs, records, and teaches.
Conspirare Symphonic Choir
Our choir of volunteer musicians who audition and perform.
Conspirare Artist Citizen Choral Collective
Gathers local educators and singers to co-create a choral culture through community involvement, engaging rehearsals, and high-level performance.
Music in Schools
Our musicians inspire and uplift choir students and their teachers at diverse middle and high schools through master classes and free performances.
Big Sing
Free community singing opportunities held at public places like schools, libraries, and museums.
Upcoming Concerts
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Restless Hearts
Immerse yourself in music of comfort and hope with Florence Price’s Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight and the iconic Duruflé Requiem. With the Conspirare Symphonic Choir.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 16 8 pm
University Presbyterian Church Austin, TX
Conspirare Christmas
Experience this holiday favorite with Featured Artist Lianna Wimberly Williams.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 7 8 pm
SUNDAY DECEMBER 8 4 pm
Hogg Memorial Auditorium Austin, TX
– ON TOUR –
MONDAY DECEMBER 9
St. Luke’s UMC Houston, TX
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 11
Central Lutheran Church Minneapolis, MN
THURSDAY DECEMBER 12
St. Michael-Albertville PAC St. Michael, MN
Our Impact:
All of us belong! Last season you helped . . .
4,000 people experience beauty, healing and belonging through concerts and free community “Big Sings.”
300 choir students learn in free class sessions with a Conspirare singer and attend Conspirare Christmas with their teacher.
76 professional artists work doing what they do best.
83 volunteers and 707 donors be a vital part of co-creating transformative music experiences.
12,000 YouTube viewers watching from home or choir classrooms.
596,705 Spotify listeners and 7,139 dedicated YouTube followers listen, teach, learn, and sing with us.
Big Sing: Let Freedom Sing
Where the audience is the Choir
THURSDAY OCTOBER 24 6 pm Austin Central Library
Soprano Lianna Wimberly Williams
Florence Price Maurice Duruflé
Craig Hella Johnson
would like to acknowledge:
Matt Alber
Jennifer Braham
Michael Dennis Browne
Thomas Burritt
Rod Caspers
Fran and Larry Collmann
Rob Deemer
Cynthia Gonzales
Michele Josue
Robert Kyr
Nicole Lammartine
Jason Marsden
Ann McNair
Paul Melroy
Evans Mirageas
Elizabeth Neeld
Lesléa Newman
Lacey Roop
Dennis and Judy Shepard
Sheila Youngblood
The Singers, Staff and Board of Conspirare
Considering Matthew Shepard Committee
Thank you to the following individuals for their enthusiastic support of Considering Matthew Shepard in the community.
J. Randle Adair
Fran & Larry Collmann
Marianne DeLeon
Nina Di Leo
Scott Dinger
Lee Manford & Casey Blass
Joey Martin
Ann McNair
“All
of Us” Choirs
Austin Community College
Jazz Choir, Chamber Singers & College Choir
Steve White, Director
Austin Gay Men’s Chorus
Thomas Rinn, Guest Artistic Director
Conspirare Symphonic Choir
Conspirare Artist Citizen Choral Collective
Craig Hella Johnson, Artistic Director & Conductor
Harker Heights High School
Master Singers
Spencer Wiley & Amber Moon, Directors
The Liberal Arts and Science Academy Concert Choir
Deric Lewis, Director
Texas State University
Chorale & University Singers
Joey M. Martin & Thomas Rinn, Directors
The University of Texas at Austin
Concert Chorale & University Chorus
J.D. Burnett, Suzanne Pence, Eric Newell, and Chongwoo Steve Ko, Directors
Vandegrift High School Chamber Choir
Emily Chandler & Emma Lee, Directors
Westlake High School
Varsity Mixed Chorale
Brandon Baker, Chris Vineis, & Matthew Radford, Directors
Westwood High School
Chamber and Innova
Andre Clark and Emma de Graaf, Directors
Emergency Exit Instructions
In an emergency, please listen for instructions from the stage. Most patrons will exit towards the back.
SPONSORS 2024-2025 Season
SEASON UNDERWRITER
FOUNDATIONS
ANONYMOUS
SHIELD-AYRES FOUNDATION
Eclectic Philanthropic Fund of the SOUTHWEST COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
We are deeply grateful to every individual, foundation, business, and government agency for your investments in Conspirare’s mission to change lives through the power of music. This list represents cash and in-kind gifts made from July 1, 2023, through August 13, 2024.
Your Generosity Brings Our Song to Life.
BUSINESS SPONSORS
MARVIN J. BRITTMAN
FRAN & LARRY COLLMANN
MARY & PHIL DELK
LYNNE DOBSON & GREG WOOLDRIDGE
WILLIAM G. FIVECOAT
LARA A. & ROBERT W. HARLAN
SHERI CLARK HENRIKSEN
TINA & DALE KNOBEL
GAIL & JEFFREY KODOSKY
ARTS AGENCIES HOSPITALITY
DEEANNE & STEVEN PAULSON
RACHEL & DEAN REVERING
GAYLE GLASS ROCHE
NANCY SCANLAN
ANONYMOUS
CAROL WILLIAMS FRIENDS
MEDIA SPONSOR
* Denotes Hella Circle Member + Conspirare gratefully acknowledges the following donors who have made multi-year pledges in honor of our 30th anniversary. Their visionary support helps ensure our musical legacy for years to come.
Contact Nina Di Leo at 512-476-5775 or ndileo@conspirare.org to learn more about how you can support Conspirare’s future with your pledge.
Names noted in italics – donor of 5+ years
Names noted in bold – donor of 10+ years
$50,000+
Fran & Larry Collmann *+
Mary & Phil Delk+ Lynne Dobson & Greg Wooldridge *+
$20,000-$49,999.99
Marvin J. Brittman *+
Dixie G. Camp, Eclectic Philanthropic Fund of the Southwest Community Foundation Direct Coil USA
William G. Fivecoat *
Lara A. & Robert W. Harlan *
H-E-B, LP
Sheri Clark Henriksen
Tina & Dale Knobel *
Gail & Jeffrey Kodosky
DeeAnne & Steven Paulson *
Rachel & Dean Revering
Gayle Glass Roche *
Nancy Scanlan *
Anonymous
Shield-Ayres Foundation
Still Water Foundation
Carol Williams *
$10,000-$19,999.99
J. Randle Adair, DO, Ph.D.+
Garrett Boone
Robert L. Brueck+
Paula D’Arcy, Red Bird Foundation
Mary A. Elzy *
Susanna & Richard H. Finnell *+
Richard Hartgrove *
Helen & Bob Hays *+
Trish & Robert Karli *+
Robert Kyr
Kathy & Henry Leighton *
Amy McCaffrey *
Texas Commission on the Arts
Frank & Nancy Word
$5,000-$9,999.99
Randy & Nancy Baden *+
Ken & Joyce Beck *
Howry, Breen & Herman LLP
Leslie “Les” Q. Brown
Crutch & Danna Crutchfield *
Nina & Jeffrey Di Leo *
Jim Ferguson & Art Sansone
Khris Ford
Rick and Linda Glasgow’s eLJay Foundation Frost Bank
Elena Goyanes
Jeanne & Van Hoisington KP Gems
Eric Leibrock * Netflix
New Music USA
Nona Niland * Per Stirling Group
Patricia A. Roach & Robert Martin*
Shell Oil Company Foundation
Matching Gifts Program
Sallie V. Sheppard & Lee T. Blank
Ken W. Smith
Simone Andrea Talma Flowers
Susan & John M. Tew, Jr.
Steve & Nicole VanderVoort+
Daphne Dupont & Ben F. Vaughan, III
$2,500-$4,999.99
Mark Bierner *
Ginger & R. Michael Blair *
Dan Bullock & Annette Carlozzi
Linda & David Cameron*
Catherine Davis & Nick Clavio*
Deborah K. Dobbs
Anonymous *
Gwen Flory *
Mary Nell Frucella *
Cynthia I. Gonzales & Bill Guajardo *
Jeanne & Donald Grantham *
Margaret & Peyton Henderson
Celeste & Martin Hubert
Sherry & Gary Jacobson *
Carolyn J. Keating *
Andrew Kennedy
Mary Kevorkian *
Wendi & Brian Kushner *
Nancy K. Lesch & Janet R. Bezner *
Dale Linebarger *
Casey Blass & Lee Manford *
Anonymous
Jyoti & Aditya Mathur
Michele Morrison *
Aurelia Palubeckas
Linda H. Parrish *
Linda Blair & Robert Ramsey
Judy Mattair & Karon Rilling *
Teresa Ringness *
Susan & Jack Robertson *
David C. Smith & Chris Long
Steinway Piano Gallery
Susanne Tetzlaff & Eric Tiblier
Russ & Janey Trowbridge
Twin Liquors
Anonymous *
Isabel Welland
$1,000-$2,499.99
Anonymous
James L. Arth *
Austin Central Library
Becky Beaver
Bob & Peg Berdahl
Vera Ayres Bowen *
Cynthia Brinson, MD
Brad Buchholz
Anonymous *
Sarah & Ernest C. Butler
Anne & Samuel Byars
Fleur Christensen *
Dot Christenson
Janis & David Claflin *
Larry Milton Cobb *
Nathasha Collmann
& David Collmann
James Nixon Curry & Cara S. Tasher *
Sandra Derby
Richard & Rena D’Souza
Entr Acte
Sylvia B. Fatzer
Ann B. Fields
Flavor Hospitality Group
Elliott Forrest
Constance & Thomas Foster *
Deborah Franke *
Jolynn & Gregory Free *
Mary Gifford *
Kim & Steve Gilbert
Kelly Gray
Sally & John Grenard-Moore *
Craig Hella Johnson
& Philip Overbaugh *
Diane Humes & Allan Treiman
Mark Istratie
Eddie Jennings
Ronald C. Jernigan
Tom Grimes & Karen Kibler
Karen Joan & Donald Kirmis
Donna & William E. Knox *
Dan Kraus
Patrick Landrum
Kevin Little
Laurie Locke
Dr. & Mrs. Craig Lubin
Thomas F. Lukens
Anna Ma
Ellen & Jim H. Matthews
Phil & Sue Maxwell
Debra & Kevin McKeand
Rebecca & Ted Mercado *
Laura Mercado-Wright
Suzanne M. Mitchell
& Richard Zansitis *
Gloria Moore
Spencer Moore
Terry Morganti-Fisher *
Judy Ann Morris
& Richard A. Shannon *
Chandra Muller
& William Beckner *
Neiman Marcus
Suzi Nelson
Cynthia Norvell
Diane Post
A. Katy & Buzz E. Pruitt *
The Renner Project
Karin Richmond *
Maximilian Rind
Barbara Schutz
Carole & Charles Sikes
Grant & Linda Jean Smith
James C. Stolpa
Pete Szilagyi & Kate McKenna
Ying Tang
Bernadette E. Tasher *
Sandra & Bob Tomlinson
Robert Watson-Hemphill
Nancy Whitworth
Julia & Patrick Willis *
Karla & James Wintle*
Peggy Howard & Bill Wood *
Patricia & Curtis F. Wyman
Ted Yanecek & Dale Herron
$500-$999.99
Kay Allison
Camille Atkins Hardeman *
Margaret Anne B. & Robert A. Ayres
Anonymous *
Cecilia Barrentine *
Steven & Susan Beebe
Bridgette Beinecke
Jennifer Bell
Kellie & Clint Bledsoe *
Brian C. Miller
& Jack Gordon Brannon, Jr.
Sean Breen
The Breen Family
Linda & George Brown *
Linda Buehlmann *
Viera Buzgova
Richard Campbell *
Judy & Patrick Cantilo
Margaret Murray Miller & Carl Caricari *
Edwina P. Carrington
Michele A. Carter
Rod Caspers
Patricia Cherico *
Robert Clagett *
Meg Clifton
John Cooper & David Perkins *
Margaret & Marc Curtis
Michael DiLeo
Noble & Sharon Doss
Susan Nash Fekety
Susan Yewell-Fernandez
& Carlos J. Fernandez
Fifth Generation, Inc.
Mary Forbord *
Karin Foster
Charles D. Fraser, Jr., MD
Cheryl Fuller *
Regan K. & William Gammon, III
Deborah Glusker *
Anonymous *
Mary Jane Kolar & Glenn M. Haluska
Megan & Michael Helmbrecht *
Kelli S. & Van R. Hoisington, Jr.
The Huebsch-Stroud Family *
Donna & William Hulsey
Michael D. & Cora Jo Hummel
David L. Hunt
Impact Arts Austin
Bobbi Kaye Jones & David Gilliam *
Phyllis & Lane Keller
Mark & Becky Konen *
Kati Lewis
Paul J. & Kathy Lindquist
John & Nancy Loftis
Anonymous
Henry E. Meadows, Jr.
Linda Mountain
Sue & Mike Nazar *
Marcia E. & Jeffrey Noebels
Ashley Nwonuma
Bill O’Meara
Dorothy O’Shea Overbey *
Pelton Charitable Foundation, Inc.
Jean A. Permann
Stuart Phillips *
Barbara Pollock & Carol Mouché
Jane Ramirez *
Pat & Ken Reed *
Jo-Michael & Mary Scheibe
April Marie Schweighart *
Araminta & Tom Sellers
Carolyn & Marc Seriff
Debra Shivers
Anonymous
John G. Slawson
Jare Smith
Sugar Gay Isber
Les Sunada
Peter Flagg Maxson
& John C. R. Taylor, III
The Garden Room
Kimberly Theodore Sidey
Michael & Melissa Tomasz
Lester Tanquilut
Anne & Tony Vance *
Will & Anne Wagner
Amy C. & Philip W. Welsh*
Karen & Andy S. White
Susan Willis
$250-$499.99
Advanced Micro Devices
Blair K. & Betty R. Anderson
Cory Arcak
Anton E. Armstrong, DMA
Douglas R. Bailey*
Michal R. Bailey*
Anonymous
Toby N. Blumenthal-Phillips
Robin Bradford
Lisa McLean
& Michael Dennis Browne
Becky Brownlee
Kyle Bryson & Amy Burgus
Jack Byrom*
Janet Carlsen Campbell
& Charles Campbell
Anonymous*
Tom & Marsha Caven
Capital Music Center
Atmara Rebecca Cloe*
Emma Jane Conley*
Janie Cook*
Marc Coté*
Mary Craddock
Cina Crisara*
Joao Crus
Sandy Dunn & Paul Harford
Melissa Eddy & Tracy Schiemenz*
Kathleen Ellis*
Maydelle & Sam Fason
Melinda Floyd
Helen Fraser*
Marilyn T. Gaddis, PhD
Jody Gillit*
Ann S. Graham & Arlen W. Johnson*
Karen Hale & Al Lindsey*
Charlotte D. Hartwig
Pamela Hite
Linda M. & Kenneth Dale Holmen
Pam & Rick Huffman
Nathan Idais
Katherine Kaighin
Patricia Koch PhD
Teri Larson & Donald Krubsack
John R. Lindley
Ann & Tim Lowry
Anonymous
Dr. Ciji Isen & Gitanjali Mathur
Karen McLaughlin
Mary McLeod
Vance McMahan
Ann McNair*
Jeanie Miley*
Phyllis R. Miller
Rebecca Miller*
Nancy Noret Moore
Cindy & Jim Morriss
Fran & Steven Moss
Monty Northrup
Peter & Kathie Nycklemoe
AnnMarie Olson
Mary Parse
Mr. and Mrs. Terry L. Paulus
Nancy Radding
William S. Reardon
Andrea & Donald Reaves*
Sally Ritch
Kathlene Ritch & Scott Noakes*
Jane Rundquist*
Donna Rutherford
Michelle V. Schumann & Matt Orem*
Natalie & Casey J. Seeboth*
Mary M. Sheppard
Kyle Sigrest
Bea Ann Smith*
Jo Stevenson
Still Austin Whiskey
Stephanie & Kevin Sutherland
Marion Lear Swaybill
Tecovas
TEXArts
Texas Performing Arts
Faith & Don Trapp*
Catherine Troisi & Richard Stoll
Sharon Turner
Linda & Nick van Bavel*
Villa Salon & Spa
Kendall Walshak*
Becky Wills
Anne Winn
Ross Wojcik
Ron Moss & Mary Wolf*
Meg Youngblood
Mark Zafereo
Conspirare
is grateful for all donors who contributed gifts under $250 and regrets that space does not permit the listing of each name. Your support is very much appreciated. We strive to publish an accurate donor list. If an error or omission is noted, please let us know by calling Ali Lewis at 512.476.5775 or emailing at alewis@conspirare.org.
Texas Performing Arts Staff
Bob Bursey
Executive & Artistic Director
Bianca Hooi
Executive & Artistic Project Manager
Priscilla Perales
Assistant to the Executive & Artistic Director
BUSINESS OFFICE
Kamille Deysel
Senior Human Resources Coordinator
Kristi Lampi
Associate Director, Business Operations
Leigh Remeny
Business Operations Manager
Basil Montemayor
Business Operations Associate
DEVELOPMENT
Anna Langdell
Director of Development
Jeannette Thomas Director of Major Gifts
Amy Burgar
Associate Director, Development
Chelsea Casner
Development Associate
Miguel Robles
Development Associate
EDUCATION & ENGAGEMENT
Tim Rogers
Director of Education and Engagement
Eric Vera
Education Program Manager
Aubrey Felty
Education & Engagement
Program Coordinator
Ava Tran
Emerging Arts Professional, Education & Engagement
FABRICATION & ACADEMIC PRODUCTION
Jeff Grapko
Director of Fabrication and Academic Production
Scott Bussey
Facility Manager and Senior Technical Director
Bridgette Clifford
Emerging Arts Professional, Fabrication
Daniel Geld
Emerging Arts Professional, Fabrication
Carolyn Hardin
Properties Manager
Eliot Haynes
Assistant Audio/Video Supervisor, Academic Production
Jason Huerta
Operations Manager, Fabrication
J. E. Johnson
Associate Director of Fabrication
Karen Maness
Associate Director of Fabrication
Earnest Mazique
Academic Production Technology Manager
Ashton Bennett Murphy
Project Specialist, Fabrication
Hank Schwemmer
Lead Fabricator
Michael Shanks
Assistant Lighting Supervisor, Academic Production
David Tolin
Project Manager, Fabrication
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
Lizzie Choffel Cantu
Design Manager
Erica De Leon
Marketing Specialist, Digital Media
Brady Dyer
Associate Director, Communications
Romina Jara
Associate Director, Marketing
Lindsey Sageser
Marketing Associate
PRODUCTION
Jim Larkin
Director of Production
Blake Addyson
Production Supervisor
Drew Millay
Audio Video Supervisor
Chris Payeur
Assistant Audio Video Supervisor
Joey Colao
Lighting Supervisor
Camryn Senioris
Assistant Lighting Supervisor
Travis Perrin
Staging and Rigging Supervisor
Ruben Vasquez
Assistant Staging and Rigging Supervisor
PROGRAMS & EVENTS
Bobby Asher Director of Programming
Brendan Burke
Programming Manager
Mika O’Dwyer
Event Manager
Alexander Reindl
Event Manager
TICKETING & GUEST EXPERIENCE
Blake McDonald Director of Guest Experience
Amanda Adams
Associate Director, Guest Services
Diana Gembinski Director of Ticketing
Meredith Delay
Patron Services Manager
Elizabeth Requenez
Ticketing Manager
Dianne Whitehair
Ticketing Systems Manager
Leadership Board
The Texas Performing Arts Leadership Board is a group of volunteer leaders in the arts, business, and philanthropy.
The Board is dedicated to expanding Texas Performing Arts’ world-class programming, positioning the organization as an international leader in the performing arts, and strengthening the bond between the performing arts and the communities we serve.
Board Members
Brian Haley, Chair
Kristin Alexander
Malú Alvarez
Carly Christopher
Jaime Davila
Tamara Dorrance
Lisa Duchon & Dennis Andrulis
Debbie Dupré
Dennis Eakin
Aubrey & Bobby Epstein
Deborah Green
Sheri Henriksen
Mike Herman
Steve Houston
Nancy & Angus Littlejohn
Chris Mattsson
Eric Natinsky
Lauren Reid
Marc Seriff
Lisa B. Thompson
Natasa & Michael Valocchi
Major Donors
Texas Performing Arts is a nonprofit supported by generous patrons and donors. We extend a special thank you to the following major supporters:
$100,000+
Anonymous
Kristin & Joshua Alexander
Malú Alvarez
Carly & Clayton Christopher
William & Anita Cochran
Jaime Davila
Lisa Duchon & Dennis Andrulis
Debbie Dupré
Kandace & Dennis Eakin
Aubrey & Bobby Epstein
Deborah Green
Caroline & Brian Haley
Sheri Henriksen
Abbey & Mike Herman
Mimi & Steve Houston
Nancy & Angus Littlejohn
Julia Marsden
Chris Mattsson
Susan & Robert Morse
Michelle & Eric Natinsky
Carolyn & Marc Seriff
The Tocker Foundation
Natasa & Michael Valocchi
$50,000–99,999
Carolyn Rice Bartlett Charitable Foundation
Jamie Barshop
$10,000–49,999
Christie & Jason Barany
Suzanne & Bill Childs
Mary Anna & Andrew Heller
Mila McCutchen
Marcia & Gary Nelson
Moritz Center for Societal Impact
Bettye Nowlin
Kendra Scott Foundation
Marcelle Spilker
Laura & David Starks
Special gratitude to donors who have established endowments at Texas Performing Arts to provide long-term funding for mission-driven projects and programs:
Alex and Dee Massad Endowment Fund
Arts Education Endowment
Joann and Gaylord Jentz Endowment for Student Engagement
Kathy Panoff Texas Performing Arts Student Engagement Endowment
Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Concert Hall Endowment
William & Anita Cochran Endowment for Performing Arts Access & Education
Phillip Auth Endowed Dance Fund for Texas Performing Arts
PAC Fund for the Creation of New American Art
Performing Arts Center Endowment for Performing Excellence
Robert L. Tocker Endowed Excellence Fund for Student Volunteerism
Topfer Endowment for Performing Arts Production
Z. T. Scott Family Endowment for the Performing Arts
Stream Considering Matthew Shepard performed by vocal ensemble Conspirare and composed and conducted by Craig Hella Johnson.
