A Composer’s Tribute to Mother Cabrini, Inspired By A Walk To The Shrine

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Photo: Kathleen Fagre, composer
Composer Kathleen Fagre wrote a piece for choir and piano inspired by a visit to the Mother Cabrini Shrine near Golden.

When composer Kathleen Fagre set out to write a musical tribute to St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, she found herself inspired by the journey to Mother Cabrini’s famous shrine.

Fagre still remembers the odd groupings of stairs that lead visitors to the hilltop shrine, located west of Golden. Those irregular, loping rhythms became the backbone of Fagre’s piece.

Photo: Mother Cabrini shrine in Golden vertical
The final steps approaching the Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden.

Fagre talked with Colorado Matters about how she researched the piece, why she finds Mother Cabrini fascinating and what it’s like to listen back to it years after writing it.

ASTER Women’s Chamber Choir -- which commissioned Fagre’s piece, “O Unico Amore,” in 2002 -- performs it on Saturday in Broomfield and April 22 in Centennial.