About this Event
I Have A Purpose
Rachel Scott Song Cycle–Commissioned by Carson Cook
13 poems. 10 composers. One extraordinary young voice.
Join creator and performer Carson Cook in person for the Rachel Scott Song Cycle,
“I Have A Purpose”, a moving concert that brings Rachel’s words to life through music.
Featuring 13 of Rachel’s poems, each set to music by a different composer, this song cycle brings together distinct musical voices to illuminate her faith, her dreams, and her hope for a kinder world.
Rachel was the first person killed in the Columbine High School shooting. But her writings reveal a young woman whose story reaches far beyond that tragedy—someone who believed that every person was created by God, deserved kindness, and had the power to make a difference.
In her essay My Ethics and Codes of Life, Rachel wrote:
“I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show kindness, it just might start a chain reaction of the same.”
Through this project, Cook invites audiences to encounter Rachel through her own words—and to hear how 10 composers have given those words new musical expression.
Experience an evening of music, remembrance, and possibility. Reserve your tickets today, bring someone you care about, and help carry Rachel’s message of kindness forward.
Agenda
Rachel Scott Song Order
Info: 1. These Hands — Brandon Zhou • 2. Faith — Chris Cooley • 3. From Heaven Above — Mary Catherine Rounsavall • 4. Dreaming — Dr. Kenneth Golden Brown • 5. I Will Find You — Jake Landau • 6. Standing at a Crossroad — Teddy Christman • 7. 13 Tears — Teddy Christman • 8. Mvt. 2 — (TBD) — Dr. Kenneth Golden Brown • 9. I Have a Purpose — Dina Pruzhansky • 10. Dear God — Mary Catherine Rounsavall • 11. Matches — Lisa Quoresimo • 12. You Are the One — Diane Tauser • 13. Father, Reach Out Your Hand — Vita Koreneva • 14. I Long to Learn — Chris Cooley
Event venue & nearby stays
OPERA America's National Opera Center, 330 7th Avenue, New York, United States
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