Glenbrook South Chamber Singers part of international virtual choir video premiere
Glenbrook South High School Chamber Singers and the Deerfield High School Chorale are among the 477 singers who joined Grammy-winning Conspirare for a special virtual choir project comprising 45 groups from around the world.
In a world ravaged by pandemic, spontaneous early evening "concerts" have sprung up in neighborhoods across the United States - spirited efforts to soothe, inspire and energize - birthed as only a crisis of this magnitude can do.
Soon after the advent of COVID-19, the University at Albany approached Grammy Award-winning Conspirare to collaborate in another uplifting "concert" - an international Virtual Choir of synchronized voices combined into a single performance.
The Virtual Choir will premiere their video performance of "All of Us," the final movement from Craig Hella Johnson's oratorio "Considering Matthew Shepard," at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25. It was composed to honor the young, gay Wyoming college student who was murdered and who, along with the murdered James Byrd, are honored in the naming of the Federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
"All of Us" carries a needed message of hope, with special attention given to those in our world who have been marginalized, mistreated or simply not seen. Filmmakers Elliott Forrest and Pascal Akesson created a video that speaks to this moment in time - incorporating the audio mix of 477 singers with images of current events and performance footage from scores of productions of "Considering Matthew Shepard."
After the premiere, Johnson will join other participants, including director Elliott Forrest and participating artists, in a conversation led by University at Albany alumnus Tony Leva to reflect on the project and take audience questions.
The virtual choir includes those who have sung "Considering Matthew Shepard" alongside Conspirare in concert over the four years since it debuted, or with their own high school, university, community, professional and church choirs.
"At a time when social justice and our collective humanity are so rightly in the forefront of our consciousness, I am humbled that so many singers joined this effort and that we can offer this music to audiences across the world," said Craig Hella Johnson, Conspirare Artistic Director and Conductor. "We are inspired by the power of music to change lives."
• About Conspirare: Conspirare is a professional choral organization under the leadership of Craig Hella Johnson. Inspired by the power of music to change lives, this ensemble engages singers from around the world who join voices to deliver extraordinary live musical performances and recordings. Their discography includes 13 commercial albums and 19 self-produced live albums. Johnson and Conspirare were awarded a 2014 Grammy for Best Choral Performance for "The Sacred Spirit of Russia" album and have been nominated seven other times. Conspirare's most recent recording, "The Hope of Loving," features works of Jake Runestad and was released in August 2019. Conspirare was awarded the Texas Medal of Arts in 2019. Based in Austin, they perform an annual concert series and tour in the United States and abroad.