With guest conductor Dr. Jan Taylor, the choruses of UC
Davis — the Concert Choir and the Chamber Singers — join
to sing the music that Albert J. McNeil (1920–2022) loved and
championed.
McNeil was a transformative force in the music department
during his 21 years as a faculty member (1969–90). He greatly
increased participation in the University Chorus from an
occasional course to a full public performance group, and
created the University Chamber Singers. He founded a music
education program and was an original faculty member of the
African American and African studies program. As founder and
longtime director of the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers in Los
Angeles, he had a profound effect on the performance,
preservation and presentation of African American spirituals.
Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus
Alex Heetland, director
“Considering Matthew Shepard,” first performed in 2016, is a
full-concert length modern-day oratorio, which honors and
celebrates the life of Matthew Shepard.
The choral work is fused together with different styles. The
texts are from poets, including Rumi and Hildegard von Bingen,
along with words from Shepard’s own journal. The Chicago
Tribune wrote: “Moving among styles ranging from Lutheran
hymnody to blues to Broadway, this modern-day Passion will move
many listeners to tears even as it reaches beyond tragedy to
peace, understanding and forgiveness.”
