I j !

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

the present with the past." I le b currently work­ing on a new solo recording due out sometime in 20 19.

Both guitarists have found abundant oppor­tunities fo r collaborations. Alex has recorded and performed with violinist Jeremy Cohen's award winning Quartet San Francisco, with the DeMania Trio featuring bassist Michael Manring and percussionist Chris Garcia, and he has toured extensively most recently at the Smithsonian Insti tute - performing his live score with the screening of the Japanese silent film classic/\ Story of Floating Weeds by the legendary film­maker Yasujiro 01u. In addition to 16 years of writing, arranging, recording and touring with the cutting edge and GRAMMY award win­ning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Andrew has recorded with electric guitarist Andy Summer of the band The Police, and his music has been set to choreography perfom1cd by the Los Angeles based Vaughn Dance Company.

Both musicians have been featured in documen­taries; Andrew in the guitar documentary Primal Tll'a11g hosted by natpicking virtuoso Dan Crary along with artists Eric Johnson, Doc Watson, and Mason Williams, and Alex was the sub­ject of a concert/ interview te levision program Alex de Grassi: The /\rti.w'.1· Profile aired on PBS and more recently in the documentary Acoustic Uprising about genesis of the emerging " finger­style" gu itar scene.

Alex and Andrew arc both prolific composers whose music has been published and widely circulated. Alex has published two collections of his compositions with llal Leonard , as well as many individual pieces with String Letter Publishing, Stropes Editions, Mel Bay, Tropo Music and numerous guitar maga1incs and joumab. The Alex de Grassi Fingerstyle Guitar Method is being used as a primary text for the groundbreaking fingcrstylc degree program at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee as well as other emerging fingcrMylc guitar programs. Andrew's work has been published by Majian Music, Alfred Publications, Ital Leonard, Guitar Solo Publications and by Ricardi in London and Gendai in Japan . I le has been commissioned to

compose pieces for many occasions, including for the Guitar Foundation of America competi­tions, and his work and master classes have been published in numerous guitar maga1incs such a<. Acoustic Guitar, Guitar Player, Classical Guitar, Soundboard , and more.

Andrew received his Master of Music degree from the University of Southern California, and he is the only use graduate to have received the Outstanding Alumni of the Year Award twice in 1997 as a member of the LAGQ and in 2003 as the sole recipient. lie abu has an extensive background as a jazz guitarist, having studied with guitar legends Joe Diorio and Lenny Breau. Alex holds a Bachelor's degree in Economic Geography from UC Berkeley, where he also studied music and art . I le also studied brieny with jazz guitarist Bill Thrasher co-author of many of the Joe Pass jau guitar books as well as with ja7Z pianist Mark Levine, and studied composition with noted composer, pia­nist and author William A. Mathieu. In turn , both Alex and Andrew have conducted master classes and guest residencies with lntcrlochcn Institute, Bcrklcc School of Music, National Guitar Workshop, Crown of the Continent and numerous university guitar programs. They cur­rently teach together at the Mendocino Guitar Workshop, founded by Alex, every July in Albion, California.

Conspirare, A Company of Voices Considering Matthew Shepard

Composed & Conducted by

CRAIG HELLA JOHNSON

Performed by CONSPIRARE

SPECIAL APPEARANCE BY:

.. Arizona Choir - Dr. Miguel Felipe, conductor

Symphonic Choir - Dr. El iLabeth Schafer, conductor

Revei lle Men's Chorus - Brayton Bollenbacher, conductor

Desert Voices Chorus - Brayton Bollenbacher, conductor

Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at 7:30pm Centennial Hall

PRODUCTION SPONSOR: Kate Garner/Kohl Family Foundation CORPORATE SPONSOR: Marriott Tucson University Park

PROGRAM

PROLOGUE

Cattk, 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

We Are All Sons

I Am Like You

T he Innocence

The Fence (one week later)

Stars

In Need of Breath

Deer Song (M ist on the Mountains)

The Fence (aftcr)rrhe Wind

Pilgrimage

EPILOGUE

Meet Me I lere

Thanks

All of Us

Reprise: This Chant of Life (Cattle, Horses, Sky and Grass)

PROGRAM NOTES

Conspirare's most recent recording and tour­ing project. C'nmideri11g Matthew S hepard, is a three-part oratorio composed by Craig Hella Johnson. The work , which debuted at number four on Billboard's Tradit ional C lassical C hart, is an evocative and compassio nate musical response to the murder of Manhcw Shepard . On October 6, 1998, University o f 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 Manhcw Shepard Foundation and pro­vided a catalyst for legislation that expanded the defi nitio n 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 Hclla Johnson had a profoundly personal reaction to both the murder and its resonance.

The Shepard fami ly and Foundation engaged with Johnson in the creation of the work, and allowed the use of fragments from Shepard 's personal diary.

Considering Ma11hew Shepard transports li s­teners through a tapest ry of m11~ical tex ture~

and idio ms in a poignant concert experience inspiring hope, compassion, and empowerment . The Washing/on Posl called the work "power­fu lly cathartic," and wrote " Like Bach's largc­scale choral works, this spellbinding piece draws on many styles maMerfully juxtaposed, though Johnson's sources arc the American vernacular. A Prologue, Passion and Epilogue ... combine spoken text, cowboy song, American hymnody and popular song, spirituals, ja11 and dan ling polyphony, a ll woven into a seamless tapes­try. The impact is immediate, profound and , at

times, overwhelming." The recording received a Grammy nomination.

Considering Ma11hell' Shepard joins the ranks of many signi ficant artistic responses to Matthew Shepard's legacy. Most noteworthy is The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman and the member~ of the Tectonic Theater Project, which has been seen by mo re than 30 million peo­ple. Jason Marsden, Executive Director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation calls Co11.1ideri11g Ma11hew Shepard "by fa r the most intricate, beautiful and unyielding artistic response to this notorious ant i-gay hate crime."

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Craig Hella Johnson

As Conspirare's founder and Artistic Director, Johnson assembles some of today's fineM sing­ers to form a world-class e nsemble. Johnson is also music director of the Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble and conductor emeritus of the Victoria Bach Festival. lie has served as guest conductor with AuMin Symphony. San Antonio Symphony, Oregon Bach Festival , Harva rd University and many others in Texas, the U.S. and abroad . Through these activities, as well as Conspirare's many recordings on the inter­natio nally distributed I PIAS I harmonia mundi label , Johnson brings national and international recognition to the Texas musical community.

Beloved by audiences, lauded by c ritics and com­posers, and revered by musicians, Johnson is known for crafting mus ical journeys that create deep connections between performer and listener. A unique aspect of John-.on's programming is his signature "collage" style: marry ing mu-.ic o f many sty les from classical to popular to create moving experiences. 71ie Woll Street Jo11mal has praised Johnson's abi lity to "fi nd the emotional essence other perfonners often miss." Composer and collaborator Robert Kyr has observed that "Craig's attitude toward creating a community of

artists ... goes beyond technical mastery into that emotional depth and spiritual life of the music."

Johnson was Direc tor of Choral Activities at the University of Texas a t Austin from 1990-2001 and remains an active educator, teaching workshops and c linics statewide, nationally, and inte rnatio nally. In fall 20 12 he became the first Artist-in-Residence at Texas State University School of Mus ic.

A composer and arranger, Johnson works with G. Schirmer Publishing on the Craig lle lla Johnson Choral Series, featuring specially selected com­posers as well as some of his own original com­positions and arrangements. I lis music is also published by Alliance Mus ic Publications. Johnson's pieces arc in high demand by choi rs across the United States who also commission his work.

Johnson's first conce rt-length composition Considering Mau/rew Shepard wa.s premiered and recorded by Conspirare for a 2016 CD release. The Bay Area Reporte r wrote: "Cons idering Matthew Shepard is a deeply American piece, performed with utter dedication by performers for whom it was composed. But its universality lies in the fact that it could be performed by many others and muM be , for al l our sakes ."

Johnson 's accomplishments have been rec­ogni1ed with numerous awards and honors. Notably among them , he and Conspi rare won a 2014 Grammy' for BcM Choral Performance, Chorus Ame ri ca granted him the Michael Korn Founders Award for Deve lopme nt of the Professional C horal Art in 20 15,and the Texas State Legislature named him Texas State Musician for 20 13. Other ho nol"'. have included 2008 induction into the Austin Arts I Jail of Fame, Chorus America's 2009 Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal, and the 20 11 C itation of Merit from inte rnational professiona l music frate rnity Mu Phi Epsilon . Jo hnson stud ied at St. Olaf College, the Juilliard School, and the Uni vers ity of Illinois, and earned his doctorate at Yale University.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Established in Austin, Texas in 1991, Conspirare is a Grammy-winning and internationa lly recog­nized choir with a reputation for "expanding the boundaries of choral perfonnance" (i~1// Street Journal). Conspirare, wh ich translates from Latin as "to breathe together," is led by founder and Artistic Di rector Craig I lclla Johnson. and is comprised of soloists from around the coun­try. Cons pi rare\ extensive discography includes 11 releases on the llarmonia Mundi label. The 20 14 album Tire Sacred Spirit of Russia won the Grammy for Best C hora l Performance.

Conspirare's ambitious mission is to e ngage the power of music to change lives. Throug h its artistic excellence, creative programming, commissioning, and educational endeavors, the organintion has establ ished itself as an agent of change and a bedrock of the Texas arts commu­nity and beyond.

A commitment to new music and wi llingness to showcase a broad context through diverse pro­grammi ng is evident fro m the fiN recording in 2004. Tlrrouglr tire Green Fuse features a Gaelic hymn, African-American spirituals. and works by Sibelius, S tephe n Foster, Eric Whitacre, among others. Gree11 Fuse wa\ followed in 2006 by Requiem (works by I lowell s, Whitacre, and

Pizzetti ) which received two Grammy Award nominariorl'.. ln 2008, Tlm'>hold of Night (mu,ic by Tarik O'Regan) aho received two nomina­tions. including Best C lassical Album.

The 2009 PBS tclevi.,ion special "A Company of Voices: Conspirarc in Concert" received the Grammy Award nomination for Best Classical Crossover, and Pablo Neruda: Tire Poet Sings was nominated for Best C horal Performance in 2016. In Europe. Conspirare represented the U.S. at the Eighth World Symposium on Choral Music in Copenhagen in 2008, joining invited choirs fro m nearly 40 countries. I larmon ia Mundi 's re-release of Requiemin 2009 won the Netherlands' prestigious 20 10 Edison Award.

In 2012, the group was invi ted to France for six performances at the Polyfollia Fcstivaland a public concert in Paris. Conspirarc was honored again in 2015 when Path of M ir.iclcs was awarded the Pre is der Deutschcn Schallplattenkritik for choral musicin Germany. Most recent ly, the 20 16 Olavsfestdagcne festi val, in Trondheim, Norway, presented the group in a collaboration w ith the internationally acclaimed ensemble Trondheimsolistcne.