Orlando Sings' Solaria ensemble perform Grammy-nominated 'Considering Matthew Shepard' this week

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Orlando Sings presents Considering Matthew Shepard on Saturday and Sunda

Orlando Sings presents Considering Matthew Shepard on Saturday and Sunday, performed by the group's choral ensemble, Solaria.

Considering, composed by Craig Hella Johnson, is a Grammy-nominated oratorio that is a musical meditation on the murder of Matthew Shepard in 1998. Shepard, a 21-year old gay student at the University of Wyoming, was kidnapped, brutalized, and hung on a fence, left to succumb to his injuries. Shepard's killing would become one of America's most infamous anti-gay hate crimes, more than a decade later leading to the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Through music and verse, Considering Matthew Shepard amplifies the irrefutable truth that there is so much more to Shepard's life and legacy than just his death. This year Orlando Sings tackles a wide range of challenging and thought-provoking works, and Considering Matthew Shepard is no different. With DeSantis outlawing cities from flying Pride flags in the state, it might just be more timely than ever.

8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, June 1-2, Pugh Theater at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.