Tom Kitt to lead masterclass with NYYS Musical Theater Songwriting Program
Broadway composer, arranger, and orchestrator Tom Kitt (Next To Normal, If/Then) will lead a virtual masterclass on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 from 6:00-8:30pm. The masterclass will feature songs written and composed by the MTS students, as performed by students from the Harlem School of the Arts and the New York Film Academy. Led by Director Anna K. Jacobs, the NYYS MTS program invites musical theater lovers to tune in live on Zoom or YouTube Live, to see Mr. Kitt share constructive feedback with students, as well as insights into his own creative and professional journey.
Register for the Zoom webinar here.
If the Zoom webinar registration has reached capacity, you may view the masterclass live right here!
Ms. Jacobs says, “Tom Kitt has carved out an astonishing, singular career as a theater artist. He is deeply admired by the aspiring young composer-lyricists in our MTS program, which is why we are so thrilled to have him leading a masterclass this season. We are also very much looking forward to officially kicking off our 2020-21 partnership with the Harlem School of the Arts and the New York Film Academy, and providing a platform to showcase the talents of their participating students as well.”
about the artist
TOM KITT (Composer/Arranger/Orchestrator/Music Supervisor) received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as two Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Orchestrations for Next to Normal. He is also the composer of If/Then (Tony Nom); High Fidelity; Bring it On, The Musical (co-composer with Lin-Manuel Miranda); Almost Famous (written with Cameron Crowe); Superhero; Disney’s Freaky Friday (Stage Production and Original Disney Channel Movie Musical); Dave; and The Winter’s Tale, All’s Well That Ends Well, and Cymbeline (The Public’s NYSF). As a music supervisor, arranger, and orchestrator, credits include The SpongeBob Musical (Tony Nom); Jagged Little Pill; Head Over Heels; Grease Live!; Rise (NBC); and American Idiot. His work with Green Day also includes additional arrangements for their Grammy Award-winning album 21st Century Breakdown and their album trilogy, ¡Uno! ¡Dos! ¡Tré! Mr. Kitt received an Emmy Award as co-writer (with Lin-Manuel Miranda) for the 2013 Tony Awards opening number, Bigger. Other Television Songwriting credits include the 2019 Tony Awards Opening Number, Live!, a musical episode of Royal Pains, and songs for Penny Dreadful, and Sesame Street. As a musical director, conductor, arranger and orchestrator, credits include the Pitch Perfect films, 2Cellos featuring Lang Lang (Live and Let Die), The Kennedy Center Honors, 13, Debbie Does Dallas, Everyday Rapture, Hair, Laugh Whore, Pippin (Deaf West), and These Paper Bullets. Upcoming projects include The Visitor (Public Theater, Spring 2020), and Flying Over Sunset (Lincoln Center Theater, Spring 2020). Tom is also now a recording artist at Sony Masterworks and will begin recording his debut album in the summer of 2020.
About the Program
Led by Director Anna K. Jacobs, the New York Youth Symphony's Musical Theater Songwriting Program is specially designed to lead students between the ages of 12 to 22 through a range of musical theater songwriting processes. Whether their background is as a classical composer, singer-songwriter, performer, writer, or some cool hyphenate, this program will provide students with the opportunity to both study the fundamentals of musical theater songwriting and take artistic risks. Weekly sessions will feature seminars, workshops, and masterclasses with some of Broadway's most distinguished composers, writers, performers, musicians, producers, directors, and designers. Throughout the year, students will also have the unique opportunity to workshop new material with performers from the Harlem School of the Arts and New York Film Academy, as well as a Broadway pit band.
Learn more about the program here.
