There are moments in history that shake the foundations of society and whose effects continue long after. Such is the case with the murder of 21-year-old Matthew Shepard in Wyoming in 1998, a hate crime that sparked an outpouring of public rage.

Shepard, a gay university student, was taken one night to a country lane, tied to a fence, bashed unconscious and left alone. He was found the following day and died in hospital several days later without regaining consciousness.

Shepard’s murder eventually precipitated the enactment of legislation that redefined hate crime to include crimes related to sexual orientation. In 2009, the United States Congress passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Composer Craig Hella Johnson was deeply affected by Shepard’s murder and his landmark oratorio Considering Matthew Shepard, which premiered in 2016, is his response to it.

Considering Matthew Shepard. Photo © Rosina Possingham

Considering Matthew Shepard is a highly reflective work that considers the events from various points of view, including Shepard’s family, the fence to which Shepard was tied, his assailants, anti-gay demonstrators at Shepard’s funeral, and Shepard himself.

South Australia was also changed by a...