Conspirare has accepted an invitation to perform at the interment of Matthew Shepard’s ashes at Washington National Cathedral on October 26. The service will be livestreamed at  https://cathedral.org/matthewshepard. Conspirare will perform selections from Considering Matthew Shepard during the service and a suite of movements from the work as part of a postlude concert.

 Artistic Director Craig Hella Johnson commented, “To be asked to sing at Washington National Cathedral is, for any occasion, a momentous invitation. To be invited by the Cathedral for this particular moment— this final laying to rest of Matthew’s ashes— is a matter of the deepest and most meaningful significance. Tears came to my eyes when we first received the call. We have been singing “Matthew’s song” now for four years — this dear Matthew Shepard, whose life and death have broken open the heart of our nation to a vision of a more loving world, past the hatred and divisive climate which troubles us all so greatly.” Conspirare’s appearance comes on the heels of a seven-city national tour that began in Laramie, WY 20 years to the day Matthew Shepard was brutally beaten. A nationally distributed special co-produced by KLRU, PBS-Austin and Conspirare featuring performance and documentary footage is now airing nationally (check local listings).